Handel - Sosarme
£14.20
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Label: Australian Eloquence
Cat No: ELQ4828582
Format: CD
Number of Discs: 2
Genre: Opera
Release Date: 9th August 2019
Contents
Artists
Alfred DellerWilliam Herbert
Nancy Evans
Margaret Ritchie
John Kentish
Helen Watts
Ian Wallace
Terence Weil (cello)
Thurston Dart (harpsichord)
St Anthony Singers
The Saint Cecilia Orchestra
Conductor
Anthony LewisWorks
Sosarme, HWV30Artists
Alfred DellerWilliam Herbert
Nancy Evans
Margaret Ritchie
John Kentish
Helen Watts
Ian Wallace
Terence Weil (cello)
Thurston Dart (harpsichord)
St Anthony Singers
The Saint Cecilia Orchestra
Conductor
Anthony LewisAbout
‘Though not the best exemplar of Handel’s skills as a musical dramatist,’ according to the Handel scholar Anthony Hicks, ‘Sosarme consistently illustrates his greatness as a composer.’ The greatest riches of the score are found in the exquisite arias for Sosarme and Elmira, and above all in their two duets, the first of which (‘Per le porte del tormento’ in Act 2) transcends its context with music of piercing radiance. It was this recording of Sosarme that introduced many listeners to Alfred Deller (1912-1979), and to countertenors in general. Deller’s unmistakable instrument embodied, by its seeming effortlessness, the art that conceals art. When the harpsichordist and conductor Gustav Leonhardt was once asked whether he had ever allowed anyone to tell him how to perform anything, he replied, ‘only Deller’.
Deller was joined by a cast of British singers who made, with Lewis, several other recordings for L’Oiseau-Lyre that cast both well-known and unfamiliar music in a new and historically informed light. Several have been reissued by Eloquence: among them Semele (4827449), The Fairy Queen (4825063) and sacred works by Couperin (4828542) and Mozart (4825041).
‘Some of the finest Handel singing and playing on disc ... Listen, for instance, to Anthony Lewis’s handling of the Allegro of the overture for an ideal blend of impetus and inner power, to Margaret Ritchie’s “Rendi’l ciglio” for exemplary control and expression, to Alfred Deller’s “In mille dolci modi” for exquisite ravishment. And of course, to that famous rendering of the duet “Per le porte del tormento” in which the talents of all three combine in a perfect realization of its unearthly serenity.’ – The Musical Times, July 1972
‘Sosarme should cause a good deal of excitement ... L’Oiseau-Lyre has assembled a brilliant cast.’ – New York Times
Cast:
- Sosarme: Alfred Deller
- Haliate: William Herbert
- Erenice: Nancy Evans
- Elmira: Margaret Ritchie
- Argone: John Kentish
- Melo: Helen Watts
- Altomaro: Ian Wallace
Recorded: London, UK, February 1955
Original L’Oiseau-Lyre LP release: OL50091/3
Remastering engineer: Chris Bernauer
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