Cupid in Bondage

John Eliot Gardiner - Handel: Water Music; Concerti grossi Op.3; Israel in Egypt; The Ways of Zion Do Mourn; Semele (2007)

John Eliot Gardiner, English Baroque Soloisits, Monteverdi Choir - Handel: Water Music; Concerti grossi Op.3; Israel in Egypt; The Ways of Zion Do Mourn; Semele [6CDs] (2007)
EAC | FLAC | Image (Cue & Log) ~ 1.8 Gb | Total time: 06:52:20 | Scans included
Classical | Label: Erato | # 2564 69838-5 | Recorded: 1980-83

John Eliot Gardiner and his period instrument ensemble produce a lovely, smooth sound in these very well played performances, which use Handel's versions for strings and winds. Balances are fine; playing and recording collaborate to produce a treasurable clarity in which every line registers. –Leslie Gerber … Handel's epic oratorio, Israel in Egypt, here in a gripping performance by John Eliot Gardiner and the Monteverdi Choir and Orchestra, was a failure during Handel's lifetime. This was perhaps because of its immense variety of compositional techniques and forms.