Concerti Grossi

This new release of the Avison Ensemble under the direction Pavlo Beznosiuk is so outstanding that it just won the coveted Gramophone "Label of the Year" award for 2010. One review of the recording immediately reveals how the release achieved the award: this is magnificent and sublime playing coupled with an extremely good technical recording. The recording is going to quickly become a standard that will from this point always be discussed in the context of Handel recordings, taking its place right along the acclaimed Gardiner, Hogwood, and Pinock cycles released in the 1970's and 1980's.The Avison Ensemble finds a way to merge technical accuracy of play with emotive and sonorous undercurrents, and although anyone familiar with Handel's great opus 6 Concerti Grossi works will recognize every note, they will also here find new, but measured, ways that these can be played while keeping true to original intent. That the performers are playing on period instruments may not even be noticed by the casual listener, because although the period instrumentation does indeed provide its own distinctive sound, long gone are the days when "period" meant squeaky, screechy, and harsh. The concerti here are beautiful and smooth, punctuated at points by the characteristic crispness for which period instruments are known. Its an ideal balance that produces a performance that might be closer to what Handel himself might actually have heard during his lifetime, but which also is smooth and rich to the modern ear. Bravo, not only to the Avison Ensemble, but to the expertise of Linn Records, the studio responsible for the audio recording.At $45, the set is not inexpensive, but one must weigh what is being offered here. This is the complete set of 12 opus 6 Concerti Grossi, and it is a new recording of a premier group using the most modern recording technology. This combination shows. This is an SACD disc, which offers significantly higher resolution than a normal CD-ROM, but even when played in a standard CD player (the disks are dual encoded, so that they may be played on either a standard CD-ROM or SACD player), the sound quality is simply superb. It is important, I think, to also keep in mind that, in today's world, the cost of assembling, maintaining, and recording such groups is quite high, and it is this simple reality that is partly reflected in the price of these disks. Too, this is a state of the art recording of a wonderful set of performances, released in dual format disks, and there are indeed three disks in the set. I admit "cringing" when I made the purchase, but when I started playing disk one, I recognized that, in reality, the set is worth three times its price. Maybe you'll agree, but even if not, its hard to deny the performance and recording is worth its cost.The great cycle of 12 Concerti Grossi were written by Handel in late 1739, partially inspired by earlier works by Corelli, who had recently done significant work in the genre. Handel had long since moved to England where the form was a favorite, and while Handel continued his extensive and successful endeavors in oratorio, he used his need for "intermission" pieces to be played between scenes to produce the concerti grossi. This is the origin of the opus 6 works, but that story might leave the reader with the impression that these were minor, or insignificant, pieces to be inserted among Handel's greater interests. The truth is that Handel applied his musical genius to this set in a manner that probably equals most anything else he ever did, and the works were immediately recognized in his time as immensely significant in their own right. They are true pinnacles of the genre, and have remained so to this day. They are beautiful, poignant, sometimes regal, sometimes ponderous, but simultaneously purposeful and obedient to form while pursuing creative stylization. In a word, they are magnificent works.If you are a Handel aficionado, like baroque music, or simply enjoy a good set of instrumental works, I heartily recommend this set. if you a Handel lover, you'll want to get this recording right away, because I can promise you that you'll soon find this recording one of the favorites in your set. Five stars for performance, five stars for recording quality, and, yes, I have to admit, it has "earned" a five star rating for price.Compare: Handel - Concerti Grossi, Op. 6 / Orpheus Chamber Orchestra Handel: Concerti Grossi, Op. 6, Nos. 1-4 Concerti Grossi Op 6, 9-12 Concerti Grossi Op 6, 9-12 Handel - Concerti grossi, op. 6 / AAM · Manze George Frideric Handel: Concerti Grossi, Op. 6 - Handel & Haydn Society / Christopher Hogwood

Handel's Concerti Grossi Opus 6 is a set of enduring, breathtaking masterpieces. I remember reading in the Encyclopedia Britannica 2007 that the concerto grosso reached its apogee with George Frideric Handel's Opus 6.The performance by I Musici de Montreal is passionate & involved. There is fire & tremendous energy when required, with gentle grace & sweetness wherever appropriate. It is clear that Yuli Turovsky has a great rapport with the ensemble. All factors considered, I feel that this is a truly exemplary & superlative performance! There are some tracks where the solo violinists seem to have gone a little overboard with the vibrato. The vibrato sounds too intense & exaggerated in some places. Or maybe it was intentional. There are also tracks that are almost completely devoid of vibrato.Of the 63 tracks on this album, I feel the following six tracks are truly exemplary & representative of the quality of this album:Concerto no. 1 in G major - Movement 4 - AllegroConcerto no. 4 in A minor - Movement 3 - Largo e pianoConcerto no. 5 in D major - Movement 6 - Menuet - Un poco larghettoConcerto no. 6 in G minor - Movement 3 - Musette - LarghettoConcerto no. 10 in D minor - Movement 6 - Allegro moderatoConcerto no. 12 in B minor - Movement 3 - Larghetto e pianoAccording to the CD notes, there are just 15 musicians in the orchestra. But a combination of fabulous performance technique & superlative audio engineering gives you the impression that you are listening to a much larger orchestra. But the finer embellishments & nuances that are so obvious in this recording are not likely to be heard if the orchestra were larger. I am now convinced that orchestral Baroque music sounds best in the hands of small ensembles.The strings have an amazingly sweet, silky & lush sound. I think it is the trademark sound of I Musici de Montreal. I've have heard their performance on the album titled "Dances from the heart of Europe", and I hear the same ethereal, sweet & silky strings. I Musici de Montreal seems to have acquired a consistent "special sound" like the trademark sound of the immense Concertgebouw Orchestra. The harpsichord in this recording is very sweet & has a delicate, ethereal sound. But, it sometimes gets lost in the mix. Headphones are ideal to appreciate the nuances of the harpsichord performance.I have never been able to figure out whether recordings of classical music rely entirely upon the natural acoustics of the recording venue. Do these sound engineers who mix classical albums add digital reverb? Anyway, the acoustics are fabulous on this album. There is a delicious & rich reverberation, probably 3-4 seconds, reminiscent of a huge cathedral or an unusually large hall. This reverb is especially mind-blowing when heard through headphones. I wish all classical record labels would adopt this standard. There are several recordings of baroque music that sound very dry, in contrast. Hats off to Chandos, for the excellent production quality!I wish I Musici de Montreal would record all orchestral compositions by Handel. Maybe they could collaborate with a few brass & woodwind musicians & record Water Music, & Music for the Royal Fireworks. I am also looking forward to a recording of Handel's Concerti Grossi Opus 3, by I Musici de Montreal & Yuli Turovsky.

Frankly despite my initial positive attitude towards this release in the light of other reviews and other excellent recorded performances of the Avison ensemble with the music of their namesake and Garth in particular, this set was a disappointment. After buying and listening to this set of Handel concertos I have to concur with the one dissenting reviewer who expressed his disappointment with both performance and recording. I subsequently followed his recommendation and purchased the Gester/ Arte dei Suonatori recordings of the opus 6 concertos. I cannot praise their version enough - great recoding and performances. Notably, slow movements like the air of the Bminor concerto are less hurried and better phrased allowing the beauty of Handel's melody line ( arguably one of his best) to be appreciated.

I found this set to be what I would consider appropriate for what the audience at the time enjoyed, with varying rhythms reflecting several 'emotional sentiment' and well known dances of the time and there are a couple of points where I almost got up and jigged with them. Opinions will always differ on the speed at which the individual items are taken, but these are mostly 'as one would expect' and I would feel 'picky' by quoting one or two instances where other conductors have differed. I found the sound really pleasant and resonant with all the instruments clear and well recorded. The period instruments used certainly make it easier to hear the interplay of phrases as the music progresses and also seems more in keeping with the works themselves. I continue to find this set enjoyable even with repeated listening. I have two other complete versions but these are the freshest and most interesting.

We bought this wonderful album in order to hear the full version of the piece of music with which the 1970s sit com "on the up" opened.

Son tres discos en grabación SACD de 1)60'03", 2)59'48" y 3)40'49", registrado en el Jubilee Thaeatre, St Nicholas Hospital, Newcastle Upon Tyme, UK del 27 al 31 de Octubre del 2.008.Son para un trio concertino de dos violines y violonchelo y un ripieno de cuerdas con clave continuo.Publicado por primera vez por suscripción en Londres por John Walsh en 1.739, en la segunda edición de 1.741 se convirtieron en los Handel opus 6. En aquella época causaron sensación en Inglaterra los Conciertos Grossos compuestos en Italia, de tal forma que muchos compositores británicos se dedicaron a imitar estas obras orquestales. Handel tomando como modelos los conciertos da chiesa y de cámara de Arcangello Corelli, pese al modelo convencional, incorporó la gama completa de sus estilos de composición, incluyendo sonatas en trio, arias, oberturas francesas e italianas,aires, fugas,etc.La interpretación de estas piezas es fantástica,parece mentira que solo 13 instrumentos suenen así. Son dinámicos, alegres,brillantes de gran colorido tímbrico,con una orquesta inmejorable, perfectamente coordinados, de gran virtuosismo orquestal,vibratos y legatos de la cuerda perfectos, con unos tempis ligeramente más rápidos que otras versiones, pero que bajo mi punto de vista he mejorado mucho la audición de esta, dándole mayor vivacidad y alegría. Las he comparado con la de Hogwood/Decca, I Solisti Italiani/Denon, Pinnock/Archiv Produktion y el arte dei sunatori- Martin Gester/BIS y está me parece que es la mejor con diferencia, aunque la versión del sello BIS es la que más se acerca a ella,y la clasifico en segundo lugar. Siempre he creido que no se aprende oyendo la mejor versión, sino comparando entre distintas versiones, lo que nos enseña a tener un criterio más sólido a la hora de opinar y de seguir aprendiendo.En cuanto al sonido la puntuo con un 10/10, es una obra de arte como grabación (State of the Art Sound) como suelen expresar los Anglosajones. Volumen grande, tanto que parece una orquesta mayor, timbres preciosos que no ripian, pequeña reverberación que le da una gran calidez a la grabación, relieve grandioso.¡ PARA MI ACTUALMENTE ESTA ES MI VERSIÓN DE REFERENCIA DE ESTOS CONCIERTOS Y LOS RECOMIENDO ENCARECIDAMENTE!

I already had Trevor Pinnock's recording (Archiv Produktion) dated from the 80's at the begining of interpretations on period instruments, which was very good. I've heard some highlights of this one and I was immediatly enjoyed by this very fine playing of these works. I like more particularly the variety of the continuo, either with cembalo or chamber organ. May be a little reserve about a lack of depht of the bass section which could be a little bit reinforced. The sound of these SACD is very fine, it's a real enjoyment and a full pleasure all along the hearing. I can't understand the bad critics of french specialized press about this recording, from my own point of view, british people are more musicians than french people (sorry I'm French, but nobody is perfect!!!)Congratulations for the Avison Ensemble and the Linn label. Highly recommanded.