Search - George Frideric Handel, Christopher Hogwood, Christophe Rousset :: The Glories of Handel Opera ~ Kirkby · Sutherland · Tebaldi · Berganza · Horne · Bowman · Pavarotti

Splendid Anthology from the Past 40 years

Dale Higbee | Salisbury, NC United States | 07/03/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This fine CD is an anthology of splendid performances dating from 1960-1995 by the world's most celebrated opera singers of great music by Handel, who in my opinion wrote better for the voice than anyone else. Enjoy! You will listen to it again and again."

A Lovely Mix of Old and New.

Edward R. Oneill | San Francisco, CA | 11/14/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"
This volume actually updates an old tape--which I still own!--by adding some of the more recent interest in historical performance practices to some of the older operatic show-biz types on display here.



I very much enjoy Sutherland and similar performers in this material. Talk about razzle-dazzle. Singers like Pavarotti and Tebaldi bring a lot of know-how about beautiful music to Handel, and that is never unwelcome.



While they might not have been terribly musicologically-informed, performers like Sutherland, Horne and Berganza certainly knew more about period performance practices: they indeed initiated the resurgence of such practices in the last three decades. Do other reviewers here perhaps forget that in preferring Dessay over Sutherland?



Meanwhile for the purists, Hogwood, Kirkby and Bowman are certainly more in the original instruments/authenticity-fetish camp: if memory serves, they were not included in the old cassette version. Clearly Decca is aware of the change in performing styles--and perhaps audience tastes--even as they are reflected on this very Amazon page. Frankly, I could use less of these and more of the old-timers.



So yes, this is a mix of old and new. The newest trends are not included. But are they not readily available elsewhere? Meanwhile, like its earlier incarnations, this set is still a marvelous compilation of gorgeous music-making from the deep Decca catalog.



"

The glories could have been even more...glorious

Armindo | Greece | 05/31/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Handel operas nowadays receive impressive stage productions and become increasingly popular. This is a great collection if you want to hear some of your favourite Italian opera singers like Sutherland, Tebaldi, Pavarotti, Evans, Berganza and Horne sing Handel. Especially the young Sutherland and Pavarotti are sensational! Considering on the other hand that Decca has now recorded many Handel operas with excellent Baroque singers, I find this recording to be somewhat outdated. It wasn't necessary for example to have Sutherland, Horne and Berganza sing two different roles when the same parts have recently been recorded by excellent newcomers like Dessay, Von Otter, or Scholl to name a few. Why stick to the past when the present has so many wonderful Handel singers? Overall however, a decent introduction to Handel's music."