George Frederic Handel (1685-1759)
          Choral Works

Ode for St. Cecilia's Day (1739)
Dorothee Mields, soprano
Mark Wilde, tenor
Alsfeld Vocal Ensemble
Concerto Polacco
Wolfgang Helbich, conductor
Recorded Maria Magdalenen Kirche,
Templin, Germany, August 1999
Released April 2004
Naxos 8.554752 [48:44]

Ode for St. Cecilia's Day (1739 - 48:45)
Cecilia, volgi un sguardo (1736 - 28:55)
Carolyn Sampson, soprano
James Gilchrist, tenor
Choir of the King's Consort
The King's Consort
Robert King, conductor
Recorded St.-Jude-on-the-Hill,
Hampstead Garden Suburb, London, June 2003
Released October 2004
Hyperion CDA67463 [77:53]
(also available in SACD format)

Ode Comparison - Lott/Johnson/Pinnock/Archiv (1986 - 50:30)

Since St. Cecilia is so prominent in these recordings, a little of
her history is in order.  She first appeared in a medieval collection
of legendary tales titled "The Golden Legend" dealing with Christian
martyrs who met terrible deaths defending their religious zeal.  Cecilia's
musical connection did not emerge until the fifteenth century when she
was identified as a singer and inventor of the organ, eventually being
called the patron saint of music.  By the sixteenth century many musical
societies in Europe were dedicated to St. Cecilia, and even Protestant
England got on the bandwagon by the late 1600's.

This is where John Dryden (1631-1700) enters the St. Cecilia sweepstakes.
In the 1680's Dryden wrote two odes - A Song for St. Cecilia's Day and
the longer Alexander's Feast.  Handel set Alexander's Feast in 1736 along
with the Italian cantata Cecilia, volgi un sguardo.  In 1739, he prepared
a new setting of Dryden's shorter A Song for St. Cecilia's Day.  Of
course, these Handel settings are a tribute to the everlasting power of
music to enlighten and delight the populace.  It is interesting that
Dryden's text for A Song for St. Cecilia's tends to give music a God-like
quality and impact on the human race.  Music lovers shouldn't mind this
emphasis at all.

Concerning the music itself, An Ode for St. Cecilia's Day comes from
Handel's top drawer, displaying his most effective use of regal and
florid music sure to please his audiences.  Unfortunately, Cecilia, volgi
un sguardo is not prime-time Handel, although it is certainly a pleasing
work.

For almost a decade, the Trevor Pinnock recording of Handel's Ode for
St. Cecilia's Day has been considered the best period instrument account
on the market.  Now there are two new period instrument versions of the
work to compete with the Pinnock.

The Helbich account is excellent in all respects.  The conducting is
idiomatic and sharp, the choir has its heart in the music, and the two
vocal soloists perform admirably.  However, the competition from Pinnock
and King is simply too strong.  In comparison, Helbich tends to be a
little subdued, and his vocal ensemble exhibits reduced unison of teamwork.
Tenor Mark Wilde has a fine voice but is not in the same league as either
James Gilchrist or Anthony Rolfe Johnson concerning attractiveness of
tone and expressiveness.  Soprano Dorothee Mields does have a lovely
voice, but she isn't one of the more poignant singers around and her
shrill upper notes are a distraction.  Yet, I have a warm spot for this
version, and the very low Naxos price makes it a fine choice for those
on a tight budget.  Listeners will definitely get the full flavor of
Handel's music at a high level of musicianship.

The new Hyperion release supplants the Pinnock as the version of choice.
James Gilchrist is the equal of the superb Anthony Rolfe Johnson, the
choirs are evenly matched, and King is perhaps the most inspired Handel
conductor of our time.  Where the Hyperion definitively surpasses the
Archiv is through the lovely and expressive voice of Carolyn Sampson;
Felicity Lott is a highly emotive singer but does not possess the beauty
of tone in Sampson's voice.  Given that the work has five soprano arias,
having Sampson on board is a major plus.  The Hyperion also has the
advantage of having a coupling that fills up the disc.

I would like to provide an example from the new disc of my high esteem
for Robert King's Handel recordings.  The Ode for St. Cecilia's Day has
a typically stunning instrumental introduction of three short movements.
The third movement is an elegant Menuet that King converts into a thrilling
listening experience through a quicker tempo than the other two versions
and an actual climax with appropriate build-up at the end of the primary
theme; neither Pinnock nor Helbich recognize any climax and suffer greatly
in comparison to King's approach.

Don's Conclusions: Handel's Ode for St. Cecilia's Day is a wonderful
work, and we have a fine selection of recordings to choose from.  The
Hyperion is my favorite, but both the Pinnock and Helbich are very
satisfying in their own right.  Sound quality is exceptional for all
three recordings, and the Hyperion has the additional advantage of being
available on SACD.

Don Satz
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