Customer Reviews

Sue Stille, Sanfte Quelle

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Handel's Nine German Arias have been well served on record, with fine CDs already available from Emma Kirkby, Monika Mauch, Julianne Baird, Carolyn Sampson and Arleen Augér among others. For the present recording, the Catalan soprano Nuria Rial comes well equipped to match this stiff competition, with a voice both rich and pure, a sure feeling for baroque style and, what is more, an exceptionally sensitive and brilliant accompaniment by the Austrian Baroque Company led by Michael Oman.

The leading instrumental part, unlike some other performances that strictly observe Handel's basic scoring for violin and continuo, is here shared in the different arias between violin, oboe and recorder, all beautifully played. Listen, for example, to the gloriously blended tones of Rial's voice and Oman's recorder in "Süße Stille, sanfte Quelle". The violin and oboe soloists do equally lovely work in the other songs, and there is excellent rapport throughout between singer and players in matters of phrasing and ornamentation. Handel's graceful melodic lines, expressing the poet Brockes' theme of delight in the beauty of nature as God's creation, are rendered with sensitivity and impeccable baroque style by voice and instruments with a rich continuo accompaniment.

Music-lovers familiar with Handel might well do a double-take on discovering the "filler" for this CD, a performance of the Royal Fireworks Music described here as a "chamber version by Michael Oman, based on John Walsh's 1749 score". The Fireworks music on only nine instruments, without Handel's customary brass and majesty!? In fact, Handel's usually noisy suite works marvellously as chamber music and is a terrific success - just listen to Oman's recorder play the leading melody of the overture, and you will hardly believe the verve and brilliance of the sounds he and his small band produce. And in truth, when we think about it, Handel's famous tunes are of such quality and character that they can sound great on almost anything when played with style and panache - and here is the proof. In short, this is a highly enterprising and thoroughly enjoyable coupling.

To add to all this we get an attractive booklet with useful notes and fine photo portraits of the main participants - not forgetting (but painted, obviously) the great GFH himself. Altogether, I found this CD an absolute delight, with three outstanding assets - namely, Nuria Rial's lovely voice and style, the beautiful accompaniment of Michael Oman and the ABC, and finally the curious, unexpected but stunning success of Handel's miniaturised Fireworks music. More please!

Nuria Rial is not a soprano known to me before I heard her perform on YouTube with the Bachstiftung. Her voiced intrigued me, as well as her beauty and charisma. Many might say that her voice is still developing, and that she has a longer road ahead of her to become a gifted soprano. I appreciate her because she opened my ears to works I'd not paid much attention. Check her out on Bachstiftung or on iTunes.