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Music : Handel - Solomon / A. Scholl, Dam-Jensen, Hagley, Bickley, Gritton, Agnew, Harvey, Gabrieli Consort and Players, Paul McCreesh
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Handel - Solomon / A. Scholl, Dam-Jensen, Hagley, Bickley, Gritton, Agnew, Harvey, Gabrieli Consort and Players, Paul McCreesh from: Archiv Prod Import List Price: $45.98 Price: $43.12 You Save: $2.86 ( 6%)Prices subject to change. |
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Binding: Audio CD EAN: 0028945968827 Format: Box set, Import Label: Archiv Prod Import Manufacturer: Archiv Prod Import Number Of Discs: 3 Publisher: Archiv Prod Import Release Date: July 20, 1999 Studio: Archiv Prod Import Sales Rank: 33054 Disc 1:
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Editorial Review: Amazon.com's Best of 1999: This complete, uncut account of one of Handel's greatest biblical oratorios is a must-have for fans of the baroque--indeed, of magnificent and thrilling music, period. Under Paul McCreesh's direction, and with star countertenor Andreas Scholl in the title role headlining a splendid group of soloists, Solomon contains powerhouse choruses, haunting arias, and some of Handel's most vividly drawn characters. --Thomas May Amazon.com essential recording: It's been conventional wisdom for several generations that Solomon, great oratorio though it may be, contains a lot of deadwood; conductors have regularly cut some items and changed the order of others. (Even John Eliot Gardiner's excellent recording cuts about 30 minutes of music.) Leave it to Paul McCreesh to give us the complete score--and demonstrate that Handel's original structure makes plenty of sense and that every number is worthwhile. What's more, McCreesh's performance is two and a half hours of just about nonstop magnificence. You'd think nobody could surpass Gardiner's Monteverdi Choir for precision and energy, but the Gabrieli Consort & Players do it: they're wondrously vivid, responsive to nuance, and clear in their diction. (By the way, DG's recording has thrilling separation in the double choruses.) As marvelous as Gardiner's soloists are, McCreesh's are just about their equals (though Inger Dam-Jensen as Solomon's Queen lets vibrato get the better of her first aria); Susan Gritton, Paul Agnew, and Peter Harvey in particular combine beautiful sound and diction with imaginative embellishments. Then there's the title role: yes, Handel wrote it for a female mezzo, but Andreas Scholl gives such an attractive-sounding and spirited performance that any complaint of inauthenticity seems like pedantic caviling. --Matthew Westphal Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
 Rating: - The full OratorioI struggled as to wether I should purchase "Solomon" with either Michael Chance of Andreas Scholl singing the title role. This is a frequent difficulty, because they are two of my favorites, but often sing the same compositions. The Mcreesh version with Scholl won out, mainly because it is the entire score. It is interesting to note that Paul Mcreesh opted to place the choral piece, "Praise the Lord" in its proper place, instead of changing it to a finale role, as is typically done, thus avoiding a possible Romantic imbellishment, as opposed to Baroque. The choruses are many and magnificent. All Scholl's arias are angelic. There are also three duets, with three of four of the sopranos, and Scholl. One aria by Solomon's Queen is a little strange. ... Read More: Rating: - Alison Hagley is the best!I bought this because Alison Hagley was in it. None can match her pure and innocent voice. What more can I say? Alison Hagley is just a beautiful woman with a beaurtiful voice! Rating: - Who's Afraid of English Oratorio?Unlike the other reviewers here, I'm a newcomer to Handel's oratorios. Operas like Ariodante, Rinaldo, Orlando, and Giulio Cesare made me fall in love with Handel as a composer. And now, his oratorios have made him my favorite composer, after Verdi. Handel's oratorios can be even more thrilling than his operas. For example, there are practically no choruses in his operas. You are lucky if you get a duet or two. The arias from his oratorios are less ornate than those of his operas, but on the other hand they are not just vacuous, florid displays, either. Also, for those whose native tongue is English, there is there is the joy of hearing how music sung in English can be as beautiful as that sung in other languages. Read More: Rating: - Much better than Gardiner's workFor those who are drawn to artists who emphasize expressiveness and variability of interpretation in their work, this recording is definitely worth owning. McCreesh allows the performance of this very moving oratorio to be intimate and thoughtful as well as thrilling. Tastes differ, and I disagree that Scholl's performance is self-indulgent. He sings the recits at the appropriate speech-pace and treats them with as much consideration as the arias, which I find refreshing. Most of Gardiner's recordings lack the elegance and patience present on this disc and most often found in the work of Herreweghe, Leonardht and Robert King. The chorus is very well prepared and sings with a nice balance of liveliness and taste (in particular ... Read More: Rating: - A successful adventureThis was a surprise recording for me. I've never considered McCreesh to be an opera conductor. Not that I'm a major expert, but I do own a number of his recordings, and I've always thought of him as a conductor most celebrated for his liturgical performances. Well, it turns out that the familiar McCreesh is equally at home in opera as in liturgy. In fact, come to think of it, McCreesh's extroverted ("congregational") renditions of church music made him just the conductor to tackle the drama of opera. His expressive conducting elicits the best out of each performer. And what a cast! Andreas Scholl turns in a wonderful performance as Solomon. I'm one of those people who sometimes find Scholl's singing to be beautiful without passion. ... Read More: |
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