Handel: Concerti Grossi, Op. 6 Nos. 1-12

The Academy of Ancient Music | Format: MP3 Download

Product Details

• Performers: Handel, Andrew Manze
• Composers: Handel
• Conductors: Andrew Manze
• Original Release Date: September 8, 1998
• Number of Discs: 2
• Label: harmonia mundi
• Copyright: 1998 harmonia mundi
• Total Length: 2:36:44
• Genres: Classical/Chamber Music, Classical/Historical Periods/Baroque (c.1600-1750), Classical/Historical Periods/Classical (c.1770-1830)
• ASIN: B000QQVUOI
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #34,553 Paid in MP3 Albums (See Top 100 Paid in MP3 Albums)
  • #79 in MP3 Downloads > MP3 Albums > Classical > Forms & Genres > Concertos
  • #97 in MP3 Downloads > MP3 Albums > Classical > Historical Periods > Baroque (c.1600-1750)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A recording of the century...really!, April 9, 2001

By 

Gregory M. Zinkl (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Handel - Concerti grossi, op. 6 / AAM · Manze (Audio CD)

Manze has outdone himself, as have the Academy of Ancient Music.

There is life, there is magic, there is some beautiful playing, there is everything you could possibly want in a recording of this wonderful score. Even if you forego period instruments, you should really try these guys out! Forget Orpheus's attempt, and please ignore the bizarre recommendation for I Musici de Montreal on Chandos (great sound and cold playing). This recording really puts all those to shame.

To top it all off, not only do you have wonderful music-making, but you also get intelligent and delightful notes that are humorous too.

A first-class production. Maybe the classical music recording industry isn't dead quite yet!

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Well Worth Having in Your Collection, September 29, 2007

By 

M. Starke "Polymathes" (Portland, OR USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Handel: Concerti Grossi, Op. 6 Nos. 1-12 (MP3 Download)

Like Corelli's Op 6 concerti, every lover of Baroque music must also have
have at least one recording of Handel's Op 6 in his collection. This version, played by the Academy of Ancient music, along with another performed by The English Consort are my two favorites.

This is a very energetic performance. Andrew Manze has uniformly chosen
brisk tempi through these concerti. Things are never too rushed, though. Clarity of expression and melodic lines always come out clearly, but I sometimes wonder why some movements are taken so quickly. Perhaps it might be to cut down track lengths? I hope that is not the case. At any rate, it's a small matter considering the energy and ornamentation the soloists put into parts, even striking double and triple stops at the end of exciting solo passages. The contrast between soloist and ensemble is nicely brought out in this recording. That all makes for an exciting listening experience, and sets this recording apart from others that might be considered as more formal and polished performances.

I chose the digital download option for this purchase and was very pleasantly surprised at how smoothly the process went. After the downloader was installed, the tracks came down extremely quickly. So fast, in fact, I paused the download to look in the folder and see if the tracks were really there! The entire two CD set was done in under two minutes.The results in 225 VRB sound really great.

My only concern about the digital download is that while track number information is put into the files so that the Windows Media Player sorts out the correct track order, the filenames themselves will not cause the files to organize correctly in folders, hence, also not on my MP3 player, which does not use the track number data in the file. I either have to create playlists, or rename the files with 01...,02..., headers. Maybe
I need another Mp3 player!

Digital or CD, This recording is well worth the purchase price. Just listen to the samples. You will know what you are getting.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Still my favorite album in my collection., September 27, 2011

By 

danbcarson - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Handel - Concerti grossi, op. 6 / AAM · Manze (Audio CD)

I am a period instrument enthusiast; I'm not going to get into that discussion. All I know is that this is one of the first recordings of classical music I've bought and it's still my favorite in my collection. The playing is very exciting, the phrasing is meticulous and very audible to the listener. You can never go wrong with Harmonia Mundi for recording quality; the sound is really exquisite. I personally tend not to like the sound Andrew Manze gets out of his baroque violin; sometimes it sounds nasally and constrained. However, this CD is a nice exception. Generally, his playing sounds more like a normal violinist, without any of the covered sound I'm used to. The Academy of Ancient Music playing is pristinely clean, and pristinely in tune, especially on some of the slower movements in which intonation is more risky. My favorite movements are the rollicking 5th movement Allegro of the 5th concerto, the noble, poignant 1st movement Larghetto of the 2nd concerto, and the tuneful, catchy, dancing 4th movement Allegro of the 4th concerto. If you are a fan of high baroque music, particularly the baroque concerto grosso, these two discs will excite you day after day, month after month, year after year. Bravo AAM, Andrew Manze and Harmonia Mundi for another wonderful production!