I have been listening to some new recordings I've bought and I am really happy with them. Most of them are with the King's Consort: Handel's Acis and Galatea, Monteverdi Selva Morale et Spirituale, and Handel An Ode for St. Cecilia's Day. I love these recordings and am most impressed with the smooth and lovely sound of the strings and winds the King's Consort get despite being period instruments and the singers who are all excellent especially Carolyn Sampson, James Gilchrist, Claron McFadden, and John Mark Ainsley. There is a recent disc of Handel arias with Ian Bostridge and he sings some of the arias from Acis and Galatea but Ainsley seems much better to me - much more fluid and less strained. The Monteverdi was a suprise in a sense since I never heard King do much from that period but it is wonderful and very authentic sounding - alternating between small forces and a large choir. It's one of the best Monteverdi discs I own. Finally, I also enjoy the new disc of Bach Dialogue Cantatas with Quasthoff and Dorothea Roschmann. It's very beautifully sung and played. Roschmann in particular seems to shine brightly and her voice seems to be improving with age. So I am a happy man at least in terms of musical recordings. I reccomend any of these discs without reservation. Peter Herwitz *********************************************** The CLASSICAL mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned LISTSERV(R) list management software together with L-Soft's HDMail High Deliverability Mailer for reliable, lightning fast mail delivery. For more information, go to: http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html