Customer Reviews

Handel Arias

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If your ears have grown weary with countless interpretations of Handel Arias for soprano..... well stop here and listen. Canada's Karina Gauvin has style, lightness and playfulness that is at once dramatic and at other times down right infectious. This entire recording, from the arias from the Operas to "Messiah", has such an air of abandon to the music from Gauvin and Tempo Rubato directed by Alexander Weimann suits her to a tee. I would also highly recommend Gauvin's recording of the Purcell Opera Arias with the amazing Les Boreades de Montreal. It is so refreshing to hear music that is so famous and over recorded have fresh air breathed into it.

I have only recently discovered the delicious singing of Canadian soprano Karina Gauvin (via the new recording of "Alcina" featuring Joyce DiDonato in the title role), and what a find she is! As other reviewers have already stated she has a dazzling technique which is perfectly suited to Baroque music (I also have her Porpora arias disc, along with her Vivaldi motets), and her singing is pretty much of an excellent standard. So why only four stars? I'm afraid I find some of the choices on this disc odd at best and, in one case, quite unfortunate. Thinking of all of the wonderful soprano arias Handel wrote for his many oratorios I can find no good reason why two tenor arias (from "Semele" and "Jephtha") have been included. Iphis has some great pieces in "Jephtha", all of which would have suited Ms. Gauvin perfectly. Still, having said this, "Where're You Walk" and "Waft Her, Angels, Through the Skies" are both very beautifully sung. The one mistake to my ears is the inclusion of the fantastic "Hence, Iris, Hence Away" from "Semele". This is clearly a mezzo-soprano aria and doesn't sit well in Ms. Gauvin's voice. Her singing is dramatic but this aria is simply too low for her.

Don't get me wrong, I love almost all of this disc with its sublime phrasing and intelligent singing and would recommend it to anyone who loves Baroque music beautifully sung. I certainly look forward to more discs from this exciting soprano!

This CD of Handel Oratorio Arias and Dramatic Scenes is a must for the lover of Baroque songs and stylistic singing. Karina Gauvin has an exquisite voice that is even throughout her range, and she is very intelligent in her understanding of Baroque style. Buy it and see for yourself.

Karina Gauvin brings a rare combination of technical brilliance and emotional interpretation to this collection of Handel's arias. Her voice maintains richness of tone throughout the soprano range which is gorgeous to listen to. I have heard Karina Gauvin live and my hopes that the recording would do her voice and stage presence justice was realised. Her ease with these arias underlines her Baroque roots. A wonderful recording for any classical collection.

Karina Gauvin est dans son registre la Star des Stars, dont les disques me laissent, si j'ose dire sans voix.

Tous les précédents commentaires sont justes : Haendel peut remercier Karina et même l'embrasser.

Ce disque me semble incontournable pour les amateurs du saxon ; ces derniers, touchés par la Grâce, pourront aussi écouter avec une joie identique :

# Interprète: Karina Gauvin & Jeanne Lamon
# Compositeur: Georg Friedrich Haendel
# CD (28 août 2008)
# Nombre de disques: 1
# Label: Analekta
# ASIN : B001B5CS8A