CAMPUS

Handel’s Concerti Grossi, Op. 3

Handel: Concerti grossi, Op. 3, Sonata a 5

The Academy of Ancient Music / Richard Egarr
Harmonia Mundi HMU 907415, DDD, 68 minutes

($16.99 on ArkivMusic.com: Click here to buy this CD)

Typically, when one speaks of Handel’s concerti grossi, the 12 renowned concertos of Opus 6 come to mind. It is this prejudice that harpsichordist Richard Egarr—in his first recording in his new role as the music director of the Academy of Ancient Music—challenges with this reading of Handel’s earlier set of the six Opus 3 concerti grossi.

From the very opening of the first track, the listener is aware that this is a recording of the highest quality. Ensemble is perfect, and the balance between the concertino of violin and oboe and the ripieno ensemble in Concerto No. 1 is flawless. The clarity of the recording is such that one can even hear the clicking of the keys on the baroque oboes during their solo and duet sections, an added treat for the careful listener. Concertmaster Pavlo Beznosiuk and principle oboist Frank de Bruine exchange gorgeous melodies during the middle movement, every turn and trill synchronized with the highest precision. The largo of Concerto No. 2, in B-flat like No. 1, contains yet another sublime oboe line, entering after a rich ritornello offered up by the warm baroque celli. De Bruine shapes the line with intelligence and understanding, crafting beautiful tone quality in each passing phrase. This ends (as does the middle movement of Concerto No. 1) with a masterful treatment of the typical, ornamented baroque Phrygian cadence.

Concerto No. 3 is a consummate example of the perfect balance that is a hallmark of the Academy of Ancient Music. The transverse flutes are never drowned out, while at the same time, the archlute—not by any means a loud instrument—can be clearly heard, happily strumming basso continuo chords in the jovial outer movements.

Handel was the master of the French ouverture style first introduced by Lully at the court of Louis XIV, and the opening movement of Concerto No. 4 indeed gets the royal treatment. The ouverture style is characterized by a slower, pomp-and-circumstance opening fit for a king—communicated through dotted rhythms—which leads into a fast, lighter melody that is always imitative and often fugal. The ensemble here remains ultra-tight and coordinated during both sections, even with the addition of tasteful ornamentation. This is an incredible feat, considering the collective virtuosity the tempi demand.

In Concerto No. 6, Handel employs a continuo organ, rather than a harpsichord, and provides it with a virtuosic solo part in the third movement. Egarr displays his utter mastery of the keyboard in playing the organ here. His phrasing, ornamentation, and execution of the line are witty and sensitive and serve as another example of Egarr’s total mastery of this music. The original middle movement of No. 6 has been lost. To fill this gap, Egarr has created his own second movement, an organ improvisation that sounds strange at first, but finishes so convincingly you think Handel himself wrote it.

The filler for this album is the Sonata a 5 (“sonata for five parts”), HWV 288. This piece, written when Handel was only 22, displays the Italian influence on Handel’s early compositional technique. Here, as with all other instances of solo violin performance on this album, Beznosiuk delights with buttery smooth phrasing and flawless tone quality.

The making of this album was undoubtedly a test not only for Egarr but also for the members of the Academy of Ancient Music, as the ensemble embarks upon a new era in its fabled history. Egarr and his players pass the test, at once respecting the great tradition of the Academy as handed down by previous conductors Christopher Hogwood, Andrew Manze, and Paul Goodwin, and also infusing these too little-known orchestral works with their own panache and flair.

Grade:
Performance: A
Sound: A+

Nick Fitzgerald is the Editor in Chief of The Virginia Informer Online, the Collegiate Network member publication at The College of William and Mary.