Search - George Frederick Handel, Robert King, James Bowman :: Essential Handel

Bargain-priced first-class overview

Gontroppo | Bathurst, NSW Australia | 05/01/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is a great CD for beginners, but also for those who already have a few Handel CDs. So often samplers have all the favourites which you already have on other CDs. But this set has a few well-known tracks, such as Zadok the Priest, See the Conqu'ring Hero Comes and La Rejouissance from The Fireworks, but mostly wonderful music, superbly played which is not extremely well known.



Highly recommended."

Robert King deserves to be famous in America, too

Santa Fe Listener | Santa Fe, NM USA | 07/22/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Robert King and his King's Consort have made dozens of recordings, establishing themselves in London as a pre-eminent Baroque group. They benefit greatly from King's unflagging energy and musical insight. Twenty years ago you couldn't say that the period movement had attracted the best musicians and conductors. That situation has changed radically, and this sampler CD from King's complete recordings exhibits first-class playing throughout. Baroque singing is at a high level, too, but you couldn't say that his singers are of Met or Royal Opera House quality--even so, they are very good.



As an indicator of the strides that period performance has made, this is an eye-opening CD, but it's also engaging for the general listener, like me, who only dips into Handel's many, many operas and oratorios occasionally.



P.S. _ King's widely publicized conviction for pedophilia made it difficult to keep this positive review in print, but in the end I did. I mean no offense, but purely as music-making this is a wonderful disc."