Ron Chaplin wrote of a Handel recording:

>What is "wrong" about Terfel's CD?

Since Ron enjoyed the Terfel CD, I should provide a little background to
best answer his question.

I started listening to Handel intensively in the 1980's.  I quickly
discovered that period instrument performances were right up my alley.
In HIP baroque performances, the voices tend to be in proportion to the
orchestra.  That's great for me, because I think of the voice as another
instrument in the orchestra.  So, for many years, this has been my
listening experience.  Also, the Handel Heroic Aria disc on Hyperion by
Bowman/King has been my compass for Handel; this disc, as I've often
commented, is one that I treasure.

This sets the stage for the Terfel disc.  Does Terfel integrate his voice
into the orchestral fabric? No, he over-powers the orchestra, changing the
flow and, for me, the entire focus of the music.  Mackerras is no help
either.  He goes along with Terfel's approach, recedes into the background,
and further exacerbates a bad situation.

I don't remember which arias the Bowman and Terfel discs have in common.
But, if you compare, you will readily discern a great difference between
the two.  In the Bowman disc, there's perfect integration with King never
taking a backseat.  He conducts masterfully, and Bowman is at his best.
In the Terfel disc, it's all Terfel.  If you prefer the vocalist to drown
out everything else going on, this disc might be a winner.  Given my
preferences, the disc is less than zero.

I must admit that I don't know of a single classical music lover, other
than myself, who has this low opinion of the Terfel disc.  However, my wife
showed some good taste a few months back when she asked me how I could
possibly like the singing of the "pompous ass" on the disc.  Her view was
confirmed when she looked at the cd cover.

I would be very interested for Ron to compare the two discs and report back
to us.  Of course, this is all subjective.  Ron is enjoying Terfel, and,
conidering that I also bought the disc, I wish I liked it also.

Don Satz
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