Customer Reviews

Handel - Theodora / Harnoncourt

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

 

 

Theodora is one of Handel's loveliest oratorios. The music is beautiful and full of tenderness and Harnoncourt, the soloists, choir and orchestra seem to understand this aspect very well.

I wouldn't consider R. Alexander to be an ideal baroque music singer but here she does a wonderful job: she understands her role and is really expressive. H.P. Blochwitz is also marvelous here. The rest of the soloists and the choir are worth listening to, if not great. The orchestra and N. Harnoncourt do a really fine job.

The only negative thing about this recording is, that it doesn't include all arias written by Handel, but I think it is still a really pleasant recording.

Musical, tender, heartfelt. No-one holds a candle to the sorely missed Lorraine Hunt-Lieberson, and nobody but nobody delivers a tenth of the white heat she brought to the Air at the beginning of Act III ("Lord we sing and pray"), but in the rest of this gorgeous recording, Roberta Alexander (soprano) and Jard Van Ness (mezzo) are exquisite. The chorus and the band shine equally, and the acoustic is just right. Harnoncourt restrains himself most uncharacteristically--the pacing is sensitive and intuitive.

Theodora se encuentra entre los más dramáticos oratorios escritos por Handel. La belleza de su música y lo acentuado de su drama la hacen una obra de inestimable valor para los amantes de este género. La grabación realizada por Harnoncourt, en vivo, en 1990, nos envuelve y seduce, dejándonos llevar por la arrolladora fuerza de esta partitura del gran compositor sajón. Los coros son interpretados con maestría y el Arnold Schoemberg salva con limpieza los difíciles melismas de la escritura. La orquesta refuerza los intensos pasajes de la historia y los intérpretes vocales están a la altura de lo exigido por Handel. La Alexander es una Theodora sensible, el contratenor Jochen Kowalski nos dibuja un Didymus apasionado y la Irene de Jan van Nes es vigorosa y penetrante. El resto cumple su cometido, a destacarse la belleza vocal del tenor Hans Peter Blochwitz. Como ocurre con su interpretación de Samson, la única inconveniencia de la grabación son los cortes que el director realiza a la obra, a favor de su continuidad dramática. Las mutilaciones son menos importantes que las realizadas a Samson, pero todo aficionado extrañará la integridad del oratorio. De todas formas, la adición de esta versión a su discografía, será indudablemente un acierto.

In this Oratorio I feel a kind of sadnes. I don't find the author of the italian operas, that conquered London. But I find a deeper sorrow, a certain melacholy. But is always the great Haendel that we well know. Harnoncourt feel perfectlyu the atmosphere of this work. The singers are good or very good. Expecially wonderful are the choir and the orchestra.

The late Haendel, also if a little tired, is always HAENDEL. We have splendid pages of great music. Unusual and dramatic the plot. Good, but not excellent ,the singers. A little cold Harnoncourt.