Magnificat/Dixit Dominus [Import]

Simon Preston's excellent 1990 recording of the 22 year old Handel's choral masterwork Dixit Dominus has withstood the test of time, often appearing as first choice amongst Handelians when judging recordings of it. Released during the early days of the cd and the first flowering of the period instruments movement, it had an interpretive grace that seemed most representative of Handel's intentions. Emmanuelle Haim and her Le Concert d'Astree have released a series of superb recordings in recent years, offering a freshness of interpretation that bespoke a brilliant new voice in the historically informed performance movement. Her Monteverdi recordings are wonderful and her recording of Purcell's Dido and Aeneas may be the current cream of the crop. She seems to have avoided Bach ... until now. Whether by design or not, she waited until she had accumulated the necessary interpretive chops before tackling these two heavyweight jewels of the German Baroque.

What she and her splendid group, accompanied by some of the finest of the current Baroque era singing specialists, have now released are probably benchmark recordings of these two choral masterworks, supplanting the venerable Preston performance. In the process, Haim makes the older disc seem strangely archaic and inauthentic: perhaps it's the exhuberance of youth versus the inevitable decline of age. Whatever the reason, Haim combines an urgency of expression that prefigures Beethoven, with a sonic clarity amongst both instrumentalists and singers, reminiscent of Ravel and other Gallic composers. In its simplest terms, she is uniting the Germanic and French schools and creating a third way of Baroque expression. It is stunningly successful in these two recordings. The forward thrust of the Magnificat begins with that glorious outburst from the horns and never lets up. The instruments are clearly delineated, softening Bach's complex contrapuntal writing, which can often overwhelm the listener. This is user-friendly Bach, built to please and not club you into submission. In the process, Bach's genius for melody, often hidden in those ornate inner lines, is revealed. This Magnificat is now a human outpouring of joy for the gift of salvation, an expression straight from the heart of the devout Bach. The Dixit Dominus, a work of such melodic brilliance that we are amazed by the youth of its creator, is given a similarly urgent yet disarmingly direct performance. The chorus sings almost as one voice, so skillfully do they perform. The soloists are equally superb. Instruments are brilliant and powerful as they comment on the words, their earthier tones providing an elemental counterpoint to the elegance of the voices. It is all deeply satisfying.

I loaded this disc onto my iPod and not a week goes by that I don't listen to it at least once. Balm for the soul, it is comforting to be in the presence of genius and not feel out of my depth. Bach and Handel may have been titans of Baroque music but Haim emphasizes their humanity, making their music approachable and just that much warmer. These recordings are exemplary, an excellent investment. Strongly recommended.

Mike Birman

There's little I could add to Mike Birman's elegant review of this CD except enthusiastic agreement and a few personal impressions, so, friends, dat's whatcha gonna get.

In terms of emotional impact, Handel's Dixit Dominus and Bach's Magnificat are well matched, both fiery exclamations of religious fervour, both extended works of contrapuntal complexity and soloistic virtuosity, the Bull and the Bear in the ring of one CD. I won't tell where I'd place my wager, but it's high drama to have these two pieces performed together.

Emmanuelle Haim never lets up in intensity. Her tempi on some of the Bach movements and on the concluding Gloria Patri of Handel are faster than I've ever heard anyone attempt. Especially on the Magnificat, she is clearly demanding the absolute maximum of her choristers, and to my ears they rise to the challenge. Likewise the soloists, especially the two sopranos and the male alto Philippe Jaroussky, match the demands of both composers and their ardent conductor. As a bassoonist, I'd like to call attention to the eloquent Baroque bassoon playing of Philippe Miqueu. I'm envious; I wish I'd been there.

Good performances of Bach's Magnificat are not uncommon, but this is the first thoroughly satisfactory disk of Handel's Dixit Dominus I've encountered. Special alert to dieters: The charge this performance will put into you is worth at least 1200 calories on the exercycle. Listen and exult!

Even if you have long forsaken sacred music, the combination of Bach's BWV 243 magnificat with Handel's splendid Dixit Dominus would never fail to offer the most exciting contrapuntal music to gratify the ears.
Ms Haim's conducting of the Le Concert D'Astree is beautiful and the sound is first class.
The soloists Natalie Dessay, Philippe Jaroussky and Karine Deshayes all give terrific solo pieces in the two works. Jaroussky's counter-tenor in particular is boyish, vibrant and never short of being stunning.
The complicated counter-points in the two works, especially the Dixit Dominus, proved however a bit too much for the chorus. For most of the time, the 'male' voices lagged behind the sopranos and altos and the lower basses sounded weak, with the ensembles unbalanced as a result. The treble parts often had to shoulder the main bulk of the vocal lines, which needless to say, are not what was being required by the composer.