Freiburger Barockorchester, Petra Mullejans & Gottfried von der Goltz – Handel: Concerti a due cori (2018) [FLAC 24bit/96kHz]

Freiburger Barockorchester, Petra Müllejans & Gottfried von der Goltz – Handel: Concerti a due cori (2018)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 48:33 minutes | 927 MB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Booklet, Front Cover | © harmonia mundi

It was for the occasion of the Covent Garden premiere of his oratorio Joshua in 1748, that Handel composed – or rather arranged – the first of his three Concerti a due cori (« Cori » does not mean here a vocal group, but two instrumental groups – two oboes, two horns, and one bassoon each, a total of ten soloists – answering to each other on the playing grounds provided by the strings), namely the HWV 332. At that time, it was customary to lighten up performances of the largest compositions, especially oratorios, with a sprinkling of instrumental pieces. But as Handel was a busy man and a businessman, and producing so much music so fast was no easy feat. This accounts for the fact that so many of his instrumental pieces are in fact recyclings – transcriptions, reorchestrations, transcriptions, according to what was available and requested – of earlier works, mostly his own, sometimes that of fellow composers – who would not necessarily be informed of the pillage. In the case of Concerto a due cori No. 1, Handel plundered a handful of his own operas and oratorios.

The second of Handel’s Concerti a due cori, HWV 333, written around the beginning of 1747, was premiered at Covent Garden in 1748 as part of a huge musical banquet, the main course of which was the brand new oratorio Alexander Balus. Here, the composer drew from some of his own English oratorios: Esther and Messiah, the latter still quite unknown. The wind groups take over melodic lines given to singers in the original choral versions of the adapted music. The third Concerto, HWV 334, contains mostly brand new music – yes! – even though the first movement is reworked in part from Handel’s so-called Fitzwilliam Overture, for two clarinets and horn, while the concluding Allegro, with its brilliant and difficult horn writing, is a rewrite of a hunting aria from his own opera Partenope. For this recording, the Freiburger Barockorchester has added a twist: each soloist group is accompanied by its own string ensemble, thus creating a higly energetic stereo effect. One orchestra is conducted (from the violin) by Gottfried von der Goltz, the other – also from the Konzertmeister position – by Petra Müllejans.

Tracklist:
Georg Friedrich Händel (1685 – 1759)
01. Concerto in F Major, HWV 334: I. Ouverture
02. Concerto in F Major, HWV 334: II. Allegro
03. Concerto in F Major, HWV 334: III. Allegro ma non troppo
04. Concerto in F Major, HWV 334: IV. Adagio
05. Concerto in F Major, HWV 334: V. Andante larghetto
06. Concerto in F Major, HWV 334: VI. Allegro
07. Concerto in B-Flat Major, HWV 332: I. Ouverture
08. Concerto in B-Flat Major, HWV 332: II. Allegro ma non troppo
09. Concerto in B-Flat Major, HWV 332: III. Allegro
10. Concerto in B-Flat Major, HWV 332: IV. Largo
11. Concerto in B-Flat Major, HWV 332: V. A tempo ordinario
12. Concerto in B-Flat Major, HWV 332: VI. Alle breve moderato
13. Concerto in B-Flat Major, HWV 332: VII. Minuet
14. Concerto in F Major, HWV 333: I. Pomposo
15. Concerto in F Major, HWV 333: II. Allegro
16. Concerto in F Major, HWV 333: III. A tempo giusto
17. Concerto in F Major, HWV 333: IV. Largo
18. Concerto in F Major, HWV 333: V. Allegro ma non troppo
19. Concerto in F Major, HWV 333: VI. A tempo ordinario