Handel: Concerti grossi Op. 3 Nos. 1-6, HWV312-317

Born at Halle in the heart of Sachsen-Anhalt, Handel did the rounds of the great Italian cities, where, in his search for wealth and glory between 1706 and 1709, he met the most celebrated masters, before leaving to conquer London, where he settled for good in 1712. His long stay in Italy had a decisive influence on his art and style. In England, where Italian music was very much in vogue, he revealed Italian opera to an enthusiastic public which had already been won over by the concertos of composers such as Corelli, Albinoni and Vivaldi. Handel himself composed two sets of concerti grossi, Op.3 and Op.6, which stand at the apex of a long tradition. Written in the glorious wake of Corelli and Torelli, the Op.3 concertos were published in London in 1734. Handel uses other instruments as well as strings, and within the rather rigid framework of the concerto grosso he achieves an astonishing diversity, blending high spirits and expressivity. Following a procedure widespread at a time when composers who were much in demand had to write in haste to comply with commissions, he recycles movements from previous works, for church or stage, adapting them for different forces.

To accompany the Hybrid SACD release by the Combattimento Consort, Amsterdam and its musical director Jan Willem de Vriend of the complete opus 6 Concerti Grossi of George Frideric Handel (CC72570), Challenge Classics are re-issuing the ensemble’s recording of the earlier opus 3 set with new notes and packaging.

George Frideric Handel’s 6 Concerti Grossi opus 3 were first published in 1734. As with the opus 6 set of 1739 the style is strongly influenced by the music of Corelli, however, as

against the later group of concertos in the opus 3 works the composer varies the concertino group in each concerto, and the oboe rather than the violin is the predominant solo instrument.

Having studied the violin at the conservatories of Amsterdam and Den Haag, Jan Willem de Vriend went on to found the Combattimento Consort Amsterdam in 1982. In his capacity as violinist and artistic director of this ensemble he has conducted numerous concerts and opera productions both in the Netherlands and abroad. The Consort’s repertoire concentrates on the period 1600-1800, not only familiar works but also lesser known masterpieces, which are often only available in manuscript form.

Concerto Copenhagen, led by Lars Ulrik Mortensen, are the leading Scandinavian ensemble specialising in historical performance practice. They are regarded throughout the world as one of the most remarkable and resourceful orchestras in their field and cpo are delighted to welcome them on board for a recording of Handel’s Concerti Grossi op. 3.

This is the first CD in a new Premium Composers Series. These are specially priced 2CD collections featuring critically acclaimed performances of the most famous classical masterworks.

The Kammerorchester Basel is one of the finest chamber music ensembles, playing on period as well as modern instruments. Their new recording for Sony’s deutsche harmonia mundi label is an authentic as well as a vivid and lively performance of Handel’s 6 Concerti Grossi Op.3 (HWV 312–17), under the direction of their concert master Julia Schröder.

The Orchestra, which won the 2008 Echo Classics Award for its Beethoven recording, not only demonstrates that it is currently one of the most exciting ensembles in the field of historically informed performance practice, it also continues its successful series of recordings of Handel’s music. Following in the wake of its recordings of the composer’s coronation opera Riccardo Primo (88697174212) and its CD of duets, Duetti amorosi, (88697214722) with Nuria Rial and Lawrence Zazzo, the Basel Chamber Orchestra now turns its attention to one of Handel’s most important sets of instrumental works.