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Wed, 7 Apr 1999 09:10:53 PDT |
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I recently acquired Borresen's string quartet no. 2 and string sextet op.
5 performed by the Copenhagen Classic on CPO, and Handel cantatas sung by
Veronique Gens on Virgin Veritas.
There's been a fair amount of message traffic concerning Borresen's
orchestral works. I found them worthy compositions, particularly the
violin concerto on DaCapo. The chamber works on CPO strike me as even
better; melodic invention is very good with little of the note- spinning
displayed in the orchestral works. The recording quality is good, although
the sound is a little too reverberant.
There are no sound problems with the Handel disc - crisp and appropriately
rich. Gens has a beautiful voice which is very expressive as well.
Although most of Handel's cantatas were relatively serene and pastoral in
nature, the three cantatas on the new disc(La Lucrezia, Armida abbandonata,
and Agrippina condotta a morire) are tragic works. Gens brings out this
tragic quality very well. However, I don't find these works among Handel's
best vocal compositions; most of the arias are simply not top-drawer
Handel.
As for recommendations, I highly recommend the Borresen disc. The music
is very enjoyable, and it's unlikely that any other versions will be
forthcoming. Concerning Veronique Gens, I think that her recent Mozart
aria disc, also on Virgin, is a better route than the Handel disc. Of
course, if you do not share my view of Handel's cantatas, the new disc
might be just what you're looking for.
Don Satz
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