Greatest Hits HANDEL ~ Water Music, Largo, etc..

George Frideric Handel (Artist), Raymond Leppard (Artist), André Rieu (Artist), Eugene Ormandy (Artist), Hartmut Haenchen (Artist), Pierre Boulez (Artist), Charles Groves (Artist), Richard P. Condie (Artist), Edita Gruberova (Artist), Wynton Marsalis (Artist), Igor Kipnis (Artist), English Chamber Orchestra (Artist), Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach Chamber Orchestra (Artist), Albert de Klerk (Artist) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 9, 1994)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B000002A25
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #108,447 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Great Starter Collection, April 1, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Greatest Hits HANDEL ~ Water Music, Largo, etc.. (Audio CD)

Handel is my favorite classical composer. He had a wonderful knack for melody and interesting counterpoint. This was the first Handel CD I bought, and it was a great place to start. I was not sure that I would like baroque music at the time, but this CD convinced me otherwise. There are some wonderful, fast orchestral pieces (such as the "Arrival of the Queen of Sheba"), which are balanced by slower selections (such as the exerpt from "Xerxes" and "See, the Conqu'ring Hero Come"). "Eternal Source of Light Divine" is an extremely beautiful vocal piece. My only problem with this CD is that it made me want to buy other CD's of Handel's work which overlapped with some of the material on this collection. For example, this CD has exerpts from Handel's famous "Music for the Royal Fireworks" and "Water Music." In order to experience these works in their whole forms, I had to buy a CD that overlapped with the material on this one. However, this is an excellent Handel primer. It is the perfect collection to introduce a listener to one of the best and most accessible of the baroque composers.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars All Handel's Greatest Hits are not created equal., February 24, 2004

By 

Patrizia Cioffi "voice teacher/coach all genres" (montclair, new jersey United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Greatest Hits HANDEL ~ Water Music, Largo, etc.. (Audio CD)

Nothing else tops this unusually gorgeous rendering. Leppard's is the finest conducting of Handel to this reviewers ears. Especially the Xerxes Largo and the Watermusic
Hornpipes and Fireworks Oveurture tempi, legato and orchestration is full of warmth and energy. A true chiara scuro interpretation. Fabulous!!!!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Handel's Greatest Hits, February 25, 2007

By 

Clyde Dollimount - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Greatest Hits HANDEL ~ Water Music, Largo, etc.. (Audio CD)

I found this recording disappointing in many respects. The sound quality was much lower than expected, especially on track 7 "Largo" which on the origional, Ormandy had created such a quiet grandeur. In trach 11 "Let the Bright Seraphim" Wynton Marsalis overpowered the singing of Edita Gruberova, whereas the music should always be the backup of the singer, and not vice versa. I don't know what happened to the "Hallelujah Chorus," but it didn't come off very well at all.

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