Cti Grossi/Son [Hybrid SACD]

This is the start of a new series of Handel recordings with the Academy of Ancient Music with its new director, Richard Egarr, on SACD. This is a review of the multi-channel SACD version.

The recorded history of Handel's Op.3 has seen many excellent performances and recordings. I own 5 other recordings of Op.3 on original instruments as follows in order of performance and recorded sound quality, best first, with a very short review of each:

1. Tafelmusik, Jeanne Lamon (1991) - Handel: Concerti Grossi, Op 3 /Tafelmusik * Lamon - Excellent performance with a lot of verve and buoyancy. Also a superbly detailed and warm recording with nice ambiance. You can hear the string basses and cellos very well.
2. The English Concert, Trever Pinnock (1984) - Handel: 6 Concerti Grossi Op. 3: The Engish Concert - Another superb performance with a lot of verve and bouyancy and a superb recording made in the excellent Henry Wood Hall (The only reason this did not get first place is because it lacked an Archlute as part of the continuo instrumentation)
3. English Baroque Soloists, John Eliot Gardiner (1981) - George Frideric Handel: Concerti Grossi Opus 3 - Another excellent performance and recording.
4. Les Musicians du Louve, Marc Minkowski, director (1994) - Handel: Concertos Op. 3/Water Music - A very good performance but does not seem to have the verve and buoyancy of the others.
5. Concentus Musicus, Nikolaus Harnoncourt (1981) - Handel: Concerti Grossi Op.3 - A great passionate performance but a poor recording.

This performance and recording with the Academy of Ancient Music now directed by Richard Egarr is very good, but could have been even better.

I have one complaint, the choice to place the first and second violins on the left was wrong. The standard in Baroque times was to place the first violins on the left and the second violins on the right. The recording with Tafelmusik has done this in their recording of Op. 3 and the effect of the 2 solo violins placed (left and right) in the first concerto is superb. Other than that flaw, this performance is vibrant and buoyant and will keep your attention till the end.

In my review of Harmonia Mundi's SACD Vivaldi: Concertos for the Emperor [Hybrid SACD, I complained that the microphones were placed a little too distant from the Academy of Ancient Music which did not reveal details. Also, the recording venue (a studio) did not have any reverberation or ambiance to speak of. In this recording the Harmonia Mundi engineers have used an excellent recording venue, St. John's Smith Square, London. They have placed the microphones closer so you get nice detail. However, they have not captured the gorgeous acoustics of St. John's Smith Square as well as they should have. St. John's Smith Square was a favorite venue of St. Martin-in-the-Fields chamber orchestra in the 1970's and based on those recordings, I know St. John's Smith Square has excellent acoustics. The Harmonia Mundi engineers have suppressed the reverberation of that great venue a little too much. One of the great advantages of SACD and the DSD recording format is its ability to capture the acoustics of the recording venue as will as beautiful details of the timbre of the instruments themselves. Also, the string bass is not loud enough. However, overall, this is still a very good recording and the transparancy of this SACD is excellent but there is room for improvement. For a great recording with original instruments listen to Jordi Savall's recording Georg Friederich Handel: Water Music / Music for the Royal Fireworks - Le Concert des Nations / Jordi Savall. Also listen to Mozart: Serenate Notturne, K. 239; Eine kleine Nachtmusik, K. 525 [Hybrid SACD] by Alia Vox to see what I mean. These recordings by Jordi Savall manage to give you excellent detail AND capture the acoustics of the venue superbly.

Overall, I would rate this 3rd place just behind the English Concert recording because there is room for improvement, but I look forward to more recordings in this new series of Handel's music with the Acadamy of Ancient Music with Richard Egarr directing. 4 stars.

Update 12-3-2009 - I have since bought and listened to Egarr's SACD recording of Handel: Organ Concertos, Op. 4 [Hybrid SACD] and the Harmonia Mundi engineers have now gotten REALLY GOOD in that recording.

Richard Egarr's first recording with AAM, this first volume of an anticipated Handel cycle is swiftly -- and justifiably -- gathering accolades. Classics Today rated it 10/10, calling the disc a "terrific release," "superbly engineered and presented [...]. It doesn't get any better." This month, Gramophone magazine announced it as the 2007 Gramophone Award Winner in the Baroque Instrumental category, proclaiming "Egarr could not have hoped for a better way to begin his tenure." I agree. The playing is wonderful, Harmonia Mundi's recording is warm and vibrant, and Egarr's notes for the recording are a interesting and informative. For Handel fans like me, or lovers of Baroque music in general, this disc is a definite "buy." [NOTE: Content review is based on the non-SACD version of this disc].

› Go to Amazon.com to see both reviews  4.5 out of 5 stars