Customer Reviews
Sublime and exuberant music from a youthful Handel and an ensemble at the height of their powers - By: M. P. Walker, 01 May 2008 
I can't really add much to what has been said, except by way of agreement. This is a truly delightful piece of music, quite lightly scored but always delicious &in places sublime. Though I still can't quite make up my mind if I like Natalie Dessay as a Handelian you can't complain about her here; she makes a great Belleza. The other two soloists are also great, but I think the real heroes are the instrumentalists of Le Concert. They seem to play with a natural & easy-going energy that surely befits the youthful Handel. They are really a fabulous ensemble & here they have some beautiful music to showcase their talents. Let's hope that Emmanuelle will carry giving us excellent Handel recordings for a long time yet!
A Triumph for Haïm et al.! - By: cnomad, 07 Aug 2007 This early allegorical oratorio (written by Georg Frideric Händel at a mere 22 while on an Italian sojourn) already shows the inventiveness of this genius (and one can understand why the composer cannibalised the work for his later compositions). The libretto is no more than a poetic & moralistic conversation among its four allegorical personae, all individually characterised by the singers all armed with marvellous technique & emotional expression: Bellezza/Beauty (French soprano Natalie Dessay) is fought over by Piacere/Pleasure (Swedish mezzo-soprano Ann Hallenberg) on one side, keeping her enticed with the joys of present "superficial" & pleasurable pursuits, & Enlightenment/Disinganno (Italian contralto Sonia Prina) & Tempo/Time (Slovakian tenor Pavol Breslik) on the other. Of course, the libretto having been written by Händel's pal, the Cardinal, Benedetto Pamphili, it's inevitable that the "virtuous" personae of Enlightenment & Time will winin the end, & Beauty agrees to take on the hairshirt & do penance for enjoying life too much. And yet, the irony of it all is that the very music Händel wrote for this oratorio will bring such pleasures to its hearers & would likely draw the disapproval of Time & Enlightenment for its "corrupting" beauty!
The work is performed with spirit & verve as well as sensitivity by the singers, guided by Baroque conductor Emmanuelle Haïm directing her Le Concert d'Astrée playing on period instruments. Although her over-bright soprano took some getting used to by me, Dessay becomes simply delightfulin her very many arias (about nine of them, by my last count), with coloratura passages asin "Un pensiero nemico di piace", "Della vita mortale" & "Un schiera di Piacere", all joyfully rendered & proving of little difficulty for her agile technique. Hallenberg gets to deploy her magnificent, incandescent mezzoin the work's most beautiful & famous arias, including the exquisitely languourous "Lascia la spina", the courtly "Un leggiadro giovinetto", & the furious "Tu giurasti di mai non lasciarmi" & "Come nombe che fugge col vento." Prina brings a measure of majesty to arias like "Più non cura" & "Crede l'uom chegli riposi", entrancing you with her dark, smooth & warm alto, with some impressive virtuosic runsin the middle of the latter aria. Finally, Breslik holds his own among the women as the authoritative & father-like chastising figure of Tempo, with his expressive & textured vocal that's hard to ignore, asin his affecting "Urne voi". On the ensemble pieces, the singers all blend together superbly, & one can get a taste of that excitementin the YouTube music video featuring the quartet singing the exhilarating "Voglio Tempo".
Additionally, director Haïm plays a mean organ on several tracks, with excellent sonata-like passages on "Taci: Qual sono ascolto?" & "Un leggiadro giovinetto". She's actually made this organ-leery listener more appreciative of that instrument.
This is a most welcome addition to the growing recorded Händel repertoire, & one highly recommended to anyone already a Händel fan, or one just starting to learn about the Baroque master's works.
First class all around - By: Axel Berger, 20 Apr 2007 Although we have been spoilt lately with a number of first class recordings of operas & oratorios by Handel & Vivaldi, this recording is the finest I have heardin a long time. The orchestra, soloists & the recording itself, is truly outstanding.
The performance by Emmanuelle Haïm & her ensemble Le Concert d'Astrée are crisp, clear & elegant. The tempos are sometimes quicker, sometimes slower then expected, but newer so to stress the soloists.
The slight acid edge to Natalie Dessay's voice is sometimes less then appealing, but she sings with great confidence & makes a strong character. Sonia Prina & Pavol Breslik are both firm & fill their roles. But it is Ann Hallenberg who steals the show. Her voice, a true, big, firm, warm mezzo, seams to have endless colours. Her "Lascia la spina" is phenomenal. Is there any better mezzo today?
