MusicWeb International One of the most grown-up review sites around 2024
60,000 reviews
... and still writing ...

Search MusicWeb Here Acte Prealable Polish CDs
 

Presto Music CD retailer
 
Founder: Len Mullenger                                    Editor in Chief:John Quinn             


CD REVIEW

Some items
to consider

new MWI
Current reviews

old MWI
pre-2023 reviews

paid for
advertisements

Acte Prealable Polish recordings

Forgotten Recordings
Forgotten Recordings
All Forgotten Records Reviews

TROUBADISC
Troubadisc Weinberg- TROCD01450

All Troubadisc reviews


FOGHORN Classics

Alexandra-Quartet
Brahms String Quartets

All Foghorn Reviews


All HDTT reviews


Songs to Harp from
the Old and New World


all Nimbus reviews



all tudor reviews


Follow us on Twitter


Editorial Board
MusicWeb International
Founding Editor
   
Rob Barnett
Editor in Chief
John Quinn
Contributing Editor
Ralph Moore
Webmaster
   David Barker
Postmaster
Jonathan Woolf
MusicWeb Founder
   Len Mullenger

alternatively
CD: AmazonUK AmazonUS
Download: Classicsonline

 

Georg Friedrich HANDEL (1685-1759)
Concerti Grossi Op.6 (1739)
CD 1
No.1 in G major, HWV319 [11:15]; No.2 in F major, HWV320 [11:49]; No.3 in E minor, HWV321 [11:36]; No.4 in A minor, HWV322 [11:28]; No.5 in D major, HWV323 [14:50]
CD 2
No.6 in G minor, HWV324 [15:16]; No.7 in B flat major, HWV325 [13:36]; No.8 in C minor, HWV326 [15:05]; No.9 in F major, HWV327 [12:38]; No.10 in D minor, HWV329 [13:54]
CD 3
No.11 in A major, HWV329 [16:29]; No.12 in B minor, HWV330 [11:39]
Arte dei Suonatori/Martin Gester
rec. July, November 2007, Radio Hall, Wroclaw, Poland
BIS BISSACD1705/06 [3 CDs: 62:32 + 72:03 + 29:04]

 

Experience Classicsonline


I very much liked the recordings of these pieces with Boston Baroque conducted by Martin Pearlman on Telarc, to the extent of splashing out on the other volume in their two disc edition. Had I known my silent prayers would be answered by being sent this new set of Handel’s Concerti Grossi Op.6 I might not have been quite so precipitate, but I haven’t regretted completing the Telarc set, thus far.

Wondering why Martin Gester’s recordings require 3 discs rather than two, it is soon quite clear that all of the timings of every movement are longer in the Bis set. Some of this is due to a more expansive feel for line, a willingness to linger over pauses and allow the gorgeous sonorities of Arte dei Suonatori’s excellent musicians free rein within the pleasantly resonant acoustic in which they find themselves. Indeed, the ‘Radio Hall’ location may not sound very promising, but if anyone were to tell you the setting was some beautiful 18th century church you would believe them immediately. I took one extreme example, the first movement of the Concerto Grossop Op.6 No.8, as this is 6:26 in the Bis recording to 2:32 on Telarc. As you might expect, Pearlman’s tempo is a good deal swifter, and while he observes the first repeat the second is missed out. There are arguments on both sides, and in live performances I’ve often found myself willing the conductor not to turn back a whole wodge of pages so we have to go through many minutes of music for a second time. Here, not only does Martin Gester make the music seem like an entirely different piece, but I would happily sit through any amount of repeats with this kind of playing. There is some variation of course; the theorbo continuo having the chance to extemporise under the strings a little more second time around, though by the time the massed violins get going there precious little else you can hear. There are far more layers going on in the Bis recording however, and more transparent movements like the following Grave have great depth, harpsichord and lute providing a sparkling bed over which the strings can soar and sigh.

Martin Gester’s choice of tempi may be broader than some, but none of them are in any way controversial, and while there is a nice spontaneous feel to the playing there are no over-extended and self-indulgent improvisations. While I still quite like the Boston Baroque recording, this new one from Bis wins on every level. Staying with the No.8 concerto, the Boston players sound flat and dull when compared with Gerster’s heartrending harmonic emphases in the Adagio, and the dancing rhythms in the Siciliano bounce with elegant grace, where from Boston they are rather stretched and lacking in articulation. Their final Allegro has plenty of punch and drive, but Gester’s tempo is a good deal faster, generating more contrast and excitement.

I’ve only dealt with one concerto so far, but what is true for one remains the case for the rest. There are some differences in interpretation as well, but these are more a case of swings and roundabouts – the organ notes held down in the opening of No.9 with Gester for instance, given separated articulation with Pearlman; that kind of thing. The Arte dei Suonatori certainly has the more ‘authentic’ sound, with a previously mentioned rich continuo which would be as much at home in a church cantata by J.S. Bach as in a secular entertainment such as these concerti. The string sound is also sharper and clearer, with that early music ‘bite’ we like to hear these days. The recording is also superb – very dynamic, and marvellous enough in stereo. The SACD effect reveals even more subtlety, and allows you to don the music like a favourite old coat – one which you thought you’d lost but turned out to have been well looked after, dry cleaned in fact, by the posh restaurant where you last saw it. There is a slight rumble in the acoustic, which pretty much vanishes as the music kicks in and is in no way disturbing – just that the background silence is not quite as inky black as our digital-tuned ears have more often than not been lead to expect.

I could bore on about the delicate little syncopations which grace the sheer energy of the Allegro e forte second movement of No.1, the understatedly moving grandeur of the opening Andante larghetto of No.2, the graceful ‘messa di voce’ inflections which give gentle power to both of the slow movements in No.4, or all of those noble dances that make you want to advance, recede and spin in sociable synchronisation with a dozen of your neighbours. I just have to admit it, this is the best set of Handel’s Concerti Grossi Op.6 I know; Hogwood and Harnoncourt included. With the added benefit of SACD spaciousness it’s what any self-respecting purveyor of classy classics would call ‘a winner’. 

As mentioned before, this set is spread of the three discs rather than two. This however is not a serious issue, as Bis are offering this set as a ‘3 discs for the price of 2’ offer, which has to be something of a bargain with music making and recording of this quality. Presentation is no slouch either, though the promisingly academic thickness of the nicely written and detailed notes booklet turns out more the result of their having been translated into German, French and Polish. All of the favourite highlights and best known movements sing and dance across your speakers with glorious vitality, through you will almost certainly find yourself responding with equal and perhaps even more delight to some of the less famous parts of this set of baroque masterpieces. Don’t accept second best, sir; insist on Gester!

Dominy Clements

 

 


Advertising on
Musicweb


Donate and keep us afloat

 

New Releases

Naxos Classical
All Naxos reviews

Chandos recordings
All Chandos reviews

Hyperion recordings
All Hyperion reviews

Foghorn recordings
All Foghorn reviews

Troubadisc recordings
All Troubadisc reviews



all Bridge reviews


all cpo reviews

Divine Art recordings
Click to see New Releases
Get 10% off using code musicweb10
All Divine Art reviews


All Eloquence reviews

Lyrita recordings
All Lyrita Reviews

 

Wyastone New Releases
Obtain 10% discount

Subscribe to our free weekly review listing

 

 


EXPLORE MUSICWEB INTERNATIONAL

Making a Donation to MusicWeb

Writing CD reviews for MWI

About MWI
Who we are, where we have come from and how we do it.

Site Map

How to find a review

How to find articles on MusicWeb
Listed in date order

Review Indexes
   By Label
      Select a label and all reviews are listed in Catalogue order
   By Masterwork
            Links from composer names (eg Sibelius) are to resource pages with links to the review indexes for the individual works as well as other resources.

Themed Review pages

Jazz reviews

 

Discographies
   Composer
      Composer surveys
   National
      Unique to MusicWeb -
a comprehensive listing of all LP and CD recordings of given works
.
Prepared by Michael Herman

The Collector’s Guide to Gramophone Company Record Labels 1898 - 1925
Howard Friedman

Book Reviews

Complete Books
We have a number of out of print complete books on-line

Interviews
With Composers, Conductors, Singers, Instumentalists and others
Includes those on the Seen and Heard site

Nostalgia

Nostalgia CD reviews

Records Of The Year
Each reviewer is given the opportunity to select the best of the releases

Monthly Best Buys
Recordings of the Month and Bargains of the Month

Comment
Arthur Butterworth Writes

An occasional column

Phil Scowcroft's Garlands
British Light Music articles

Classical blogs
A listing of Classical Music Blogs external to MusicWeb International

Reviewers Logs
What they have been listening to for pleasure

Announcements

 

Community
Bulletin Board

Give your opinions or seek answers

Reviewers
Past and present

Helpers invited!

Resources
How Did I Miss That?

Currently suspended but there are a lot there with sound clips


Composer Resources

British Composers

British Light Music Composers

Other composers

Film Music (Archive)
Film Music on the Web (Closed in December 2006)

Programme Notes
For concert organizers

External sites
British Music Society
The BBC Proms
Orchestra Sites
Recording Companies & Retailers
Online Music
Agents & Marketing
Publishers
Other links
Newsgroups
Web News sites etc

PotPourri
A pot-pourri of articles

MW Listening Room
MW Office

Advice to Windows Vista users  
Questionnaire    
Site History  
What they say about us
What we say about us!
Where to get help on the Internet
CD orders By Special Request
Graphics archive
Currency Converter
Dictionary
Magazines
Newsfeed  
Web Ring
Translation Service

Rules for potential reviewers :-)
Do Not Go Here!
April Fools




Return to Review Index

Untitled Document


Reviews from previous months
Join the mailing list and receive a hyperlinked weekly update on the discs reviewed. details
We welcome feedback on our reviews. Please use the Bulletin Board
Please paste in the first line of your comments the URL of the review to which you refer.