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Presto News - 16th March 2009George Frederic Handel |
 2009 - April 14th, to be precise - is the 250th anniversary of Handel's death. As regular readers of this column will probably be aware, I'm a big Handel fan, so the opportunity to write a few paragraphs and promote this wonderful composer is something I have been looking forward to for some time.  George Frederic Handel Handel was born in Germany in 1685 and, after training in Italy, he settled in England in 1712 aged 27. He had already firmly established his reputation with - amongst other things - his operas Agrippina and Rodrigo, his oratorios La Resurrezione and Il Trionfo del Tempo, numerous cantatas, and his famous Dixit Dominus all dating from his Italian years. However it is from his time in England that his most popular works all date. His choral works, including of course the Messiah have remained a core part of choral society repertoire ever since, and his coronation anthem Zadok the Priest has been played at every British coronation ceremony since that of King George II (for whom it was written) in 1727. Amongst his instrumental repertoire his Concerti Grossi (Op. 3 and Op. 6) and his Organ Concertos are superbly crafted, and his two ‘outdoor’ works - the Water Music (first performed at a water party on the Thames in 1717) and the Music for the Royal Fireworks (first performed in front of 12,000 people in Green Park in 1749) – remain hugely popular. In my view, his finest works are undoubtedly his operas and oratorios. While the oratorios (particularly the English ones like Saul, Solomon and of course Messiah) have remained in the repertoire thanks mainly to enormous choruses of amateur singers, the operas have only really been rediscovered in the last 50 years, since when a general revival of interest in baroque music, as well as the prevalence of countertenors (who can more accurately replicate the castrato roles for whom Handel wrote than female singers) has resulted in numerous Handel operas now entering the mainstream opera repertoire. Handel wrote 42 operas, and some of them are still being recorded for the first time. As you would expect there has been something of a plethora of new Handel recordings and re-issues recently, so we’ve put some of the more interesting ones, along with many of the great Handel recordings already in the catalogue into a Handel special offer where we are offering up to 50% off the normal price. There is much to enjoy in here for both Handel enthusiasts and relative newcomers. Browse Handel Special Offer:
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Chris O'Reilly - chris@prestoclassical.co.uk |
New Releases16th March 2009 |
This is just the pick of the recent releases. The New Releases and Future Releases pages are always available for browsing all the new and forthcoming releases. |
 Handel: AlcinaJoyce Didonato, Maite Beaumont, Karina Gauvin, Sonia Prina, Kobie Van Rensburg, Laura Cherici & Vito Priante, Il Complesso Barocco, Alan CurtisUnder baroque-pioneer conductor Alan Curtis, the sorceress Alcina bewitches as never before for Handel year 2009. Alan Curtis, lauded by Opera as “one of our finest conductors of Baroque opera,” illumines Handel’s masterpiece, Alcina, by casting, as heroine, the brilliant Joyce DiDonato. Since Alcina is historically dared by virtuosic sopranos like Sutherland and Battle, this innovative recording with a mezzo is a must-have not just for Alcina freaks but all who adore sensational vocalism. |
 Ravel - L'Enfant et les sortileges & Mother GooseBerliner Philharmoniker & Rundfunkchor Berlin, Sir Simon RattleJoining the Berliner Philharmoniker and Simon Rattle in the one-act opera L'enfant et les sortilèges is a stellar cast. The opera has strong associations for Sir Simon. Shortly after winning the John Player International Conducting Competition in May 1974, Rattle, then aged 19, conducted the work in concert in Liverpool, receiving the first of many critical successes in his career. A Glyndebourne performance in 1987 sealed his reputation for the work, and this recording encapsulates his love and experience for the charmed sound-world of the Child's house and garden in Ravel's setting. |
 Bach - Jesu, deine PassionDorothee Mields (soprano), Matthew White (alto), Jan Kobow (tenor) & Peter Kooy (bass), Collegium Vocale Gent, Philippe HerrewegheBach reserved some of his most elaborate cantatas for worship on the Sunday before the beginning of Lent - and it was for that very day that he composed the cantatas BWV 22 and 23 in 1723, as test pieces destined to gain him the post of Leipzig Kantor. The cantatas BWV 127 and 159 were written for the same Sunday in subsequent years. Lent 2009: Ash Wednesday, 25th February - Palm Sunday, 5th April |
 Schumann - Music for cello and pianoSteven Isserlis (cello) & Dénes Várjon (piano)‘There is no composer to whom I feel closer than to Schumann. He has been a beloved friend since I was a child; I remain as fascinated today as I was then by his unique blend of poetry, ecstatic strength and confessional intimacy.’ Steven Isserlis’s own words give the background to this fascinating disc. |
 Ferdinand von Preussen - Complete Piano Trios Volume 3Trio ParnassusAfter Frederick the Great, Prince Louis Ferdinand was certainly the only Prussian royal who revealed a double talent in music culture and in the military sphere. He penned all the compositions on this CD in the encampment outside Zwickau that began during the winter of 1805/06. Although a decisive battle against the French was in the offing, it was here that the prince wrote his most beautiful quartets – probably owing to a passionate love. |
 Mayr: FedraChor & Orchestra des Staatstheaters Braunschweig, Gerd SchallerJohann Simon Mayr composed and premiered ‘Fedra’ at La Scala Milan in 1820. The edition used for this recording was published by Ricordi in 2008 as the first volume of the new edition of Mayr’s operatic works. |
 Lorraine Hunt Lieberson - Recital at RaviniaLorraine Hunt Lieberson (mezzo-soprano) & Peter Serkin (piano)Two years before she died, Lorraine Hunt Lieberson gave this recital focusing on the theme of ‘love’ at the Ravinia Festival in Illinois. In this live recording, she displays her own very special sense of drama in a programme ranging over several centuries and covering every facet of this universal emotion, accompanied by an eminent partner, the pianist Peter Serkin. |
 Vladimir Jurowski conducts BrittenSally Matthews (soprano), Pieter Schoeman (violin) & Alexander Zemtsov (viola), London Philharmonic Orchestra, Vladimir JurowskiOn this release Jurowski conducts live recordings of three of Benjamin Britten’s early works. Written just before his published Opus 1, the Double Concerto for Violin and Viola was never performed during Britten’s lifetime, but already demonstrates his mature style. The memorable way that the string orchestra depicts different characteristics of Britten’s composition teacher in the Variations on a Theme of Frank Bridge led it to become Britten’s first popular classic. Les Illuminations sets Rimbaud’s poetry in vividly realised musical images, making it the crowning masterpiece of Britten’s early years. |
 BBC Radio 3 CD ReviewSaturday 14th March 2009 |
Building a Library - Haydn: Piano Trio No. 43 in C Major, Hob.XV:27 |
 First Choice(as part of the Complete Piano Trios)Beaux Arts Trio |
Disc of the Week |
 Josquin - Missa Malheur me bat and Missa Fortuna desperataThe Tallis Scholars, Peter Phillips |
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