The precocious genius of Handel

Handel ...
Before this name reminded me a German composer talented, but which I found fairly deep. It goes without saying that this decision was one of the most absurd that I have made in my life. Intrigued by the esteem that he wore, among others, Bach, Mozart or Beethoven, I decided to immerse myself in the work of the great Handel, with this disk to start. Although took me.
"Dixit Dominus" belongs, as its name suggests, the repertoire of sacred music, popular composer; Yet it is not here one of these famous pages which everyone knows a tune. But how is it that such a masterpiece is not better known? Handel shows its melodic and harmonic creativity, sense of contrast and modulation, as well as its formal mastery, giving a great relief religious texts actually quite austere. Sometimes great, sometimes intimate, this deeply moving work is in the person of John Eliot Gardiner an exegete of great merit, which conforms to the canons of interpretation of Baroque music. The performance of the orchestra and the choir are noteworthy. The whole is an almost divine beauty ... And to think that this wonder was born from the pen of a young man of 22 years! It seems that at this age already, Handel was at the peak of his art.
The caressing softness of "Virgam virtutis tuae" the poetic "Tecum principium in die virtutis" (the song I prefer), the fiery "Juravit Dominus", the final fugue of the "Gloria Patri e Filio" ... "Dixit Dominus "is one of the purest jewel, sacred music at one of its vertices. Listening to this music, it is hard not to think of posterity Handel; I refer specifically to the Great Mass in C minor by Mozart, so marked by the manner of Bach's contemporary. An essential work to all lovers of baroque music in a high-value interpretation.
The addition of the "Coronation Anthem" inspires me two remarks that fall outside of aesthetics. The first is that it is not enough to "fill" the space available on the disk: 41 minutes listening in total, on a support able to contain almost double! I deplore qu'Erato has not chosen to complement the available space. The second remark concerns less music than we did in: the nucleus of a failed anthem for a football competition. This reminiscence completely polluted my listening, and if the score is remarkable in itself, it is hard to love completely why.

It is therefore absolutely listen to this record "Dixit Dominus", a masterpiece that bears sacred music to a level rarely achieved. Gardiner proves here that the remarkable exegete deserved this partition. Rarely will a disk together with this degree of excellence in the creation and interpretation. It would be criminal to miss.