Handel Concerti grossi, Op. 3
View record and artist detailsRecord and Artist Details
Composer or Director: George Frideric Handel
Label: Archiv
Magazine Review Date: 3/1985
Media Format: CD or Download
Media Runtime: 57
Mastering:
DDD
Catalogue Number: 413 727-2AH
Tracks:
Composition | Artist Credit |
---|---|
(6) Concerti grossi |
George Frideric Handel, Composer
(The) English Concert George Frideric Handel, Composer Trevor Pinnock, Conductor |
Composer or Director: George Frideric Handel
Label: Archiv
Magazine Review Date: 3/1985
Media Format: Vinyl
Media Runtime: 0
Mastering:
DDD
Catalogue Number: 413 727-1AH
Tracks:
Composition | Artist Credit |
---|---|
(6) Concerti grossi |
George Frideric Handel, Composer
(The) English Concert George Frideric Handel, Composer Trevor Pinnock, Conductor |
Composer or Director: George Frideric Handel
Label: Archiv
Magazine Review Date: 3/1985
Media Format: Cassette
Media Runtime: 0
Mastering:
DDD
Catalogue Number: 413 727-4AH
Tracks:
Composition | Artist Credit |
---|---|
(6) Concerti grossi |
George Frideric Handel, Composer
(The) English Concert George Frideric Handel, Composer Trevor Pinnock, Conductor |
Author: Nicholas Anderson
The inherent spirit of Handel's music seldom eludes Trevor Pinnock and The English Concert and it is realized here in fresh and vigorous performances. The string playing provides a warm sound and a homogeneous texture—we have come to expect nothing less—but it is the excellence of the oboe playing which calls for particular applause. Handel was second to no baroque composer that I can think of in the technically informed manner with which he wrote for this instrument and the material which he composed for it reveals his special love of it. The outstanding example in Op. 3 is, of course, the Largo of the Concerto No. 2 in B flat; there the oboe's expressive cantilena is gently accompanied by the broken-chord accompaniment of two concertante cellos. It comes off very effectively in this performance. Elsewhere it is the sheer exuberance of Pinnock's approach, his crisp attack, and the elegant poise which he brings to dance measures—Minuets in particular—which place this new version of Op. 3 ahead of any rival that I have heard. 'Sparkling' is a word which admirably sums up these performances.
The LP recorded sound is clear and my pressing was faultless, but, to my astonishment, the clarity and immediacy of the CD version was such that, by comparison, the LP now strikes me as marginally inferior. I have sometimes been sceptical of CD sound in the past; if this is the sort of thing we can expect at its best then this is altogether an exciting prospect for the future. Warmly recommended.'
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