Händel: Dixit Dominus; Caldara: Missa dolorosa [Hybrid SACD] [Hybrid SACD - DSD]

George Frederick Handel (Composer), Antonio Caldara (Composer), Thomas Hengelbrock (Conductor), Balthasar-Neumann-Ensemble (Performer), Constanze Backes (Performer), Andrea Brown (Performer), Hermann Oswald (Performer), Andreas Weller (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Balthasar-Neumann-Ensemble, Constanze Backes, Andrea Brown, Hermann Oswald, Andreas Weller
• Conductor: Thomas Hengelbrock
• Composer: George Frederick Handel, Antonio Caldara
• Audio CD (October 12, 2004)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Hybrid SACD - DSD
• Label: RCA
• ASIN: B00020Q386
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #494,186 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Dixit Dominus

2. Virgam Virtutis Tuae

3. Tecum Principium

4. Juravit Dominus

5. Tu Es Sacerdos In Aeternum

6. Dominus A Dextris Tuis

7. De Torrente In Via Bibet

8. Gloria Patri, Et Filio

9. Kyrie Eleison

10. Christe Eleison

11. Kyrie Eleison

12. Gloria In Excelsis Deo

13. Domine Deus

14. Domine Fili

15. Qui Tollis Peccata Mundi

16. Quoniam Tu Solus Sanctus

17. Cum Sancto Spiritu

18. Credo In Unum Deum

19. Crucifixus

20. Et Resurrexit

See all 26 tracks on this disc

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Great Sound, Not So Great Performance, February 8, 2008

By 

Virginia Opera Fan (Falls Church, VA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Händel: Dixit Dominus; Caldara: Missa dolorosa [Hybrid SACD] (Audio CD)

It is good to hear Handel's youthful psalm setting in SACD and there certainly isn't much competition for the Caldara. The choral work is OK, a little squally in the sopranos and shaky in intonation. The period orchestra is colorful and plays pretty well. What sinks this recording, for me, is the effortful singing of Handel's solo lines in the Dixit setting. Intonation is shaky and the hooty, insecure sound of the countertenor in "Virgam virtutis" almost made me take the disc out of player. The tenor soloist won't win any prizes either. The light voiced bass is the best of the lot.

The choral work improves in the Caldara, but the complaints about soloists apply here as well. I suspect most prospective purchasers will be buying this disc primarily for the Handel and the competition (Parrott's complete Carmelite Vespers, from which the work is extracted, on EMI to cite one) is simply too strong to recommend this effort, great sound notwithstanding.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Fun, blemished recording, April 30, 2008

By 

Felipe Gasper - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Händel: Dixit Dominus; Caldara: Missa dolorosa [Hybrid SACD] (Audio CD)

I mainly write to confirm what an earlier reviewer suggested: yes, the Handel is a *treacherously* difficult work to sing, perhaps even more for the choir than for the soloists.

This entire recording, btw, is (currently!) up on YouTube. Do a search on "handel dixit dominus"; it's in four parts, the one with the baldacchino graphic.

I personally think this is a "fun" recording of the work, owing to the tempi and the continuo instrumentation. There are a few vocal problems here and there.

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent performance, September 13, 2007

By 

HSIEH CHENG CHUNG "Alfred Hsieh" (Taipei, Taiwan) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Händel: Dixit Dominus; Caldara: Missa dolorosa [Hybrid SACD] (Audio CD)

I bought this disc because I like baroque music, especially Handel and Caldara both are the one of my favors. They occurs together in one disc so that I want to try how Hengelbrock express his music.
I summary my comments as list
1.Its recording is outstanding, whatever you listen with CD or SACD player.
2.In fact, Handel's Dixit it doesn't shown with solemn, but more theatrically, as his opera music, it will be easygoing,
3.Caldara's music is as his characteristic, peace and smooth beauty.
It is a great experience to listen.