Here are two of the most brilliant and appealing of late Baroque choral works‚ supplemented by the latest Handel discovery. As you might expect‚ Sir John Eliot Gardiner directs cracking performances of both the choral pieces. He recorded the Dixit Dominus before‚ a quarter of a century ago‚ in equally dramatic and emphatic a manner (RCA‚ 3/78). This new version is a true tour de force of choral singing. His tempos tend to extremes: the slow movements held back‚ the fast ones pressed forward. But the Monteverdi Choir are unrufflable. Their response is instant‚ unanimous and electrifying. Their singing‚ in the two flanking choruses and in the vivid central group‚ beginning with ‘Juravit Dominus’ and ending with the ferociously punched­out ‘Conquassabit’‚ leave you in no doubt of their mastery‚ or of Handel’s astonishing and precocious command of choral effect. You may feel (as I do) that it is a bit exaggerated‚ and that the effects Gardiner goes for‚ in attack and dynamic moulding‚ for example‚ are beyond those in the repertory of Handel’s day and represent a gloss on the music. It’s quite a modern sound‚ not a selfconsciously period one. But that doesn’t make it any less exciting. The Vivaldi Gloria – this is the more familiar one‚ RV589 – is hardly less arresting. The opening ‘Gloria’ is strong and shapely‚ the ‘Et in terra pax’ very romantically done‚ its dynamics and tempo flexibly treated. Here‚ too‚ the tempos are often extreme: a very sprightly ‘Laudamus te’‚ a speedy ‘Domine fili unigenite’ and ‘Quoniam’‚ a ‘Domine Deus‚ Agnus Dei’ slow‚ even rather static. Again‚ however‚ the choral singing is supremely assured. What slightly puzzles me about these two performances is that the soloists seem all to be drawn from the choir; there are none of the names and voices familiar in the world of Baroque music recording. Several of the singers are entirely new to the CD catalogue; others have taken some smallish parts. It is of course ‘authentic’ to use choir members as soloists; but the rival recordings of these works call on singers of greater reputation and‚ in general‚ accomplishment. The solo singing here‚ in both works‚ is well tuned and very competent but often a little ordinary‚ with few individual interpretative felicities. Angela Kazimierczuk is sometimes a little intense and effortful in the Dixit‚ and Richard Wyn Roberts (understandably) does not find the ‘Virgam virtutis’ there particularly easy. And this applies too to the ‘new’ Handel Gloria. Gillian Keith sings coolly and thoughtfully‚ with a pleasant gentle ring to her voice and some neatly shaped phrasing. The ‘Et in terra pax’ is taken slowly for what‚ compared to Emma Kirkby’s on the BIS recording (8/01)‚ seems slightly pallid singing. In the closing ‘Cum sancto spiritu’ Keith copes well with the semiquaver runs‚ although there seems to be some instability of tempo here – at any rate‚ it isn’t as rapid as Kirkby’s‚ which is surely overdone. But Kirkby’s performance of the work is superior‚ with a glowing‚ rhetorical fervour in the ‘Domine Deus’ and expressive depth in the ‘Qui tollis’ unmatched in the new version as well as numerous touches of percipient musicianship elsewhere. It’s still very agreeable to have this new piece along with these vigorous versions of the familiar ones.