Search - Georg Friedrich Handel, George Petrou, Mary-Ellen Nesi :: Handel: Oreste

Classy new recording: style meets substance

A classical musician | Canada | 01/09/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"
Finally, a recording which marries thoughtfully considered knowledge of Baroque style with glorious, golden-toned musical spontaneity. An elegant, tasteful presentation. Mary Ellen Nesi has a gorgeous, naturally full-bodied voice which can be contemplative, then suddenly fly up to effortless and thrilling high notes with perfect intonation. Conductor George Petrou is a perfect match for his orchestra, collaborating to explore the intricacies of Baroque style, finding a fine balance between interpretive extremes. As the narrative of Orestes unfolds, one feels the commitment of these artists to this tale from their homeland of Greece. Continuo accompaniments are fascinating and stylistically appropriate. The string section is clear, pure, yet resonant. I've become jaded about Handel recordings but this one I will play often for friends and family. It also makes for glorious background music!"

Never heard of them? You should.

And You May Find Yourself | Greece | 01/10/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I first heard this opera with some of the same singers, same conductor and different orchestra, at the new festival at Ancient Corinth. Despite some misgivings, I greatly enjoyed the performance, especially as the surroundings were magical - the Temple of Octavia in the archeological site was used as the 'set'- and the audience (of local people, not tourists), though unaccustomed to classical music, was very attentive.



I wondered whether I would enjoy it quite so much on CD - after all, there's no 'ambience' to make up for any faults. But my doubts dissolved at first hearing. All the singers, especially the female voices, are excellent (the Oreste and Ifigeneia especially); the orchestra and harpsichord are very good indeed. And though the opera itself may be a pasticcio, it's truly a beautiful one which stands perfectly well on its own.



This recording is a must for Baroque fans, if only to show that you don't need famous names to achieve a wonderful recording - just in-depth knowledge, spades of talent, and a true love of art.

"

An incredibly spirited recording of a superb Handel pasticci

Baroque and opera freak | Hong Kong | 12/15/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"For those of use who love Handel's operas, there is absolutely no reason to look down on a "pasticcio", or a work put together carefully out of music that the composer has already written for other works. Handel pasticcios can be as good as his original operas. And when one puts together a group of (mostly Greek) singers and musicians as good as the group assembled for this beautiful recording, one finds oneself in the face of another masterpiece of Handel's opera oeuvre. Because of the distinctive personalities of the soloists and the conductor, this recording is quite a different experience from the great Alan Curtis recordings (not to mention Diego Fasolis) that have been enriching the Handel repertoire jrecently. The fact is, because every one of Handel's operas has a distinctive feel and style, we are never bored on hearing new works, and the more we hear of them the more we enjoy the other great works that may come our way, dropping from the sky like mana from Heaven for those of us whose spiritual life is sustained by that mana. If Petrou's Camerata Stuttgart recordings of the Greek-themes operas can re-open to us more of Handel's great oeuvre, delighting us and refining our spirits at the end of a hard working day, then more power to them. This is a delightful recording, technically as well as in the quality of the musicians and soloists, and Handel lovers will certainly want to include it their collections -- without fail."