Customer Reviews

Handel Opera Arias, Vol. 1 ~ Drew Minter, PBO, McGegan

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George Frideric Handel, Opera Arias Vol. 1 (re-issue of "Arias for Senesino").
Performed by: Drew Minter, countertenor; Lowell Greer, horn; the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, San Francisco (concertmaster: Michael Sand), directed from the harpsichord by Nicholas McGegan.
Recorded in November, 1986, at Lone Mountain College Chapel, San Francisco, California.
Harmonia Mundi. Originally published in 1987 as HMC 905183. Re-issued as part of the budget-priced Classical Express series as HCX 3955183. Total time: 60 minutes.

Together, Nicholas McGegan and Drew Minter have possibly done more than anybody else in recent years to re-establish the claims of Handel as an opera composer. This activity has, of course, not been limited to CD productions, and in particular it must be the yearly production of an opera at the G?ttingen H?ndelfestspiele in Germany which merits praiseworthy attention. The CD "Opera Arias Vol. 1" was one of the firstfruits of McGegan's association with Minter and with the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra. Normally, I would shy away from such "bitty" productions with selections of arias instead of whole works, but in this case I can only say Thank God for a wonderful document full of enthusiasm for Handel as an opera composer. Senesino, for whom all the arias on this disc were specially written, was, of course, not a countertenor but a "castrato". In our more enlightened times, we no longer castrate boys in order to make them great soprano singers, and anyone who wants to re-create 18th century opera has to answer the question of how to convey something of the singing which captivated the masses in Handel's day and, in London at least, became the talk of the town. Some directors prefer a certain kind of female voice, a legitimate decision borne out by the success of Vivica Genaux with her album of Arias for Farinelli. In the Farinelli film, a digital mix was made of a male countertenor and a female voice, something I personally feel to be a little dishonest. The third alternative is to use a countetenor, well aware that this is a compromise that can only be a pointer to what the singing of Senesino (and Farinelli) must have been like.
Drew Minter is, after Andreas Scholl and David Daniels, perhaps one of the most natural and accomplished countertenors to grace the early music scene, and this particular CD bears wonderful testimony to his vigour and his ability to sing, seemingly effortlessly, in the typical Handelian style often missed by more well-known opera singers. The two absolute highlights of the disc are the opening "Va tacito e nascosto" from "Giulio Cesare" and "Ah! Stigie Larve", the famous mad scene from "Orlando". The first of these is made even more glorious by Lowell Greer's heavenly natural horn accompaniment, and I find it even more delightful than the rival version by Paul Esswood and the Concentus Musicus Wien directed by Nikolaus Harnoncourt (Warner). Each and every aria is succintly directed by McGegan, an opera genius, and the silvery, rapt playing of the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra leaves, to my mind at any rate, nothing whatever to be desired. It is extremely unfortunate that the texts of the arias are no longer included in the booklet.

This CD was originally issued in 1987 as "Arias for Senesino" and then appeared as part of a mid-price 4CD set with similar recitals featuring Lisa Saffer, Lorraine Hunt and David Thomas. The title 'Vol.1' suggests that the other 3 releases in the original series will soon follow, although price-wise buying the full 4CD set (with sung texts) would be better value for money. The Minter disc features arias from Giulio Cesare, Riccardo Primo, Orlando, Flavio and Tolomeo. Here (as with all other HM USA re-releases in this series) the texts and translations have been cut. One wonders why record companies do this in their reissue series? It isn't to save paper as the CD still contains a verbose 20 page booklet. As the lyrics are so essential to understanding and enjoying Handel's operas it would be better to go for the recent disc of Handel arias on Virgin by American countertenor David Daniels who covers almost exactly the same 'arias for Senesino' as Minter. Alternatively there are several collections of soprano arias such as those by Emma Kirkby on Hyperion.

I only know vocal Handel (outside of the Messiah) from the Music of the Baroque series in Chicago. That inspired me to find this recording. I enjoy the style,the rhythm, the beauty of the voice, and it's become one of my favorite cds of baroque music. I found it at my university's library. Note that it's a little confusing. The original title was "Handel: Arias for Senesino." However, today I was unable to find it on Amazon under that name. There's a more recent cd with that title; and this is under the title you see above, I suppose because it's a re-issue as part of a series.

Here Minter makes Handel seem lifeless and colorless. Although he is rather musical, his voice lacks a male incisiveness and is soft, with a rather limited expressive range. The overall effect is flaccid and lifeless, especially in the great dramatic arias from Giulio Cesare and Rodelinda.