Philharmonia Baroque, Nicholas Mcgegan

George Frideric Handel (1685 - 1759): Susanna. Oratorio. First performed 1749. Complete version including all the music that Handel later deleted. Performed by Lorraine Hunt and Jill Feldman, soprano, Drew Minter, countertenor, Jeffrey Thomas, tenor, David Thomas and William Parker, bass; the U.C. Berkely Chamber Choir; the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, San Francisco, conducted by Nicholas McGegan. Recorded live in September, 1989, at the Hertz Hall at the University of California.

Handel’s 1736 opera 'Atalanta' concluded with a spectacular display of fireworks in its first year of performance; it has only recently been revived for the first time since the 18th century. The fireworks on this live Philharmonia Baroque recording from 2005 are of the vocal variety. The San Francisco Chronicle raved: “Magnificent… the most vibrant, exhilarating stretch of musical showmanship this organization has offered in many a long season.

McGegan's recording is of considerable documentary interest in that a separate section at the conclusion of each of the three parts of Messiah - there are three discs accordingly - is reserved for the many alternative versions of arias, accompanied recitatives and choruses which Handel himself used or at least approved in performances during the 1740s and 1750s. In this way, the booklet explains, the listener can select which version of the work he/she wants to listen to at any given time. About six versions are possible from the 18 alternative tracks provided on the three CDs. By following a table printed in the back of the booklet (a few minutes' mental gymnastics are initially required) you can programme your CD player to replace particular arias with others.

Arcangelo Corelli (February 17, 1653 - January 8, 1713) was a composer, pivotal figure of the Baroque period, and one of the most influential violinists of all time. Born in Fusignano, he studied in nearby Bologna and after 1675 lived in Rome. There, his patrons included Queen Christina of Sweden and, after 1690, the art patron Cardinal Pietro Ottoboni. Corelli was the most widely published and reprinted composer before the Franz Joseph Haydn, he was also the first composer to gain an international reputation solely on the basis of his instrumental music. Many elements of his style became commonplace in the 18th century, and his works are early examples of the newly evolved system of major and minor tonality. As the preeminent violin virtuoso of the day, he taught many leading violinist-composers of the 18th century.

This suite of dances from Dardanus and Platée is an ideal introduction to Rameau. Though his operas are full of articulate use of language and are, in their own polite way, theatrically charged, French baroque opera required periodic dance interludes, which is what is included here. Unlike 19th-century French opera, the dance music in these 18th-century works is often among the most fascinating in the entire opera, full of rich, unorthodox scoring and so packed with ideas underneath the mellifluous exterior that each interlude often seems like a miniature concerto for orchestra.

The legendary label, deutsche harmonia mundi, releases a special 50 CD boxset featuring star performers such as Hille Perl, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Dorothee Oberlinger, Simone Kermes, and Nuria Rial and more! This collection displays the sheer variety available from the dhm archive. A perfect collection ranging Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque and Romantic music.