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Songs from this album are available to purchase as MP3s. Click on "Buy MP3" or
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36 of 36 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
The music on this well-compiled Decca set has previously been issued on individual discs (under the L'Oiseau-Lyre label) and in different combinations, so nothing new here. But this present offering is probably the most attractive of the lot so far as well as an outstanding bargain. It finds The Academy of Ancient Music in top form under its seasoned maestros Christopher Hogwood and Simon Preston, both devoted Handelians. Authentic instruments are used throughout, but there is little of that 'period-instrument whine' which sometimes mars other pioneering efforts from the late 70's and early 80's. Preston, however, opts for irritatingly brisk tempi in the Italianate Birthday Ode, especially in the opening aria 'Eternal Source of Light Divine', which thus loses some of its extraordinary serene beauty. But there is a lot to admire here, nowhere more than in the fresh counter-tenor of James Bowman, and the following choruses are pressed home with appropriate pomp and grandeur. The comparatively rare Foundling Hospital Anthem (Blessed are they who considereth the poor...) is immediately recognisable for its borrowed moments, which are Handel at his finest. The Anthem concludes with an illustrious rendering of the 'Hallelujah' chorus, better known, of course, from The Messiah. What remains from Alceste is an overture in D minor and some incidental music, but it is superb. The overture itself is impressively dramatic, and so is the grande entrée for the main protagonists Admetus and Alceste. There is also a string of tuneful choruses and a series of solo items, for some of which Handel found use elsewhere in his prolific output. The solemn Utrecht Te Deum & Jubilate in D major completes this set in a most convincing manner, and its inclusion here is a much happier choice than the former decision to pair it with Vivaldi's D major Gloria (on O-L 443178-2). All in all, a very useful complement to the discerning Handelian's musical library. The sound, too, is very good, warm and spacious in choruses; yet admirably attentive to detail elsewhere.
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