Handel and Haydn Society / Harry Christophers HAYDN London Symphony No. 100 - Nelson Mass

 

LONDON SYMPHONY No. 100 - NELSON MASS

 

FestspielOrchester Göttingen / Laurence Cummings HÄNDEL Saul

SAUL

Mary Bevan / Roderick Williams / William Vann / Jack Liebeck TIME AND SPACE

TIME AND SPACE

London Early Opera / Bridget Cunningham HANDEL IN ITALY Vol. 2

HANDEL IN ITALY Vol. 2

London Early Opera / Bridget Cunningham HANDEL IN ITALY Vol. 1

HANDEL IN ITALY Vol. 1

Mary Bevan / Joseph Middleton VOYAGES

VOYAGES

Mary Bevan / Allan Clayton / Carducci String Quartet / Graham J. Lloyd IAN VENABLES Love Lives Beyond the Tomb

                                                LOVE LIVES BEYOND THE TOMB

Mary Bevan / Joseph Middleton THE DIVINE MUSE

                                                               THE DIVINE MUSE

Lucy Crowe / Mary Bevan / London Early Opera / Bridget Cunningham HANDEL'S QUEENS

Handel’s Queens features some of the most exquisite pieces of music written by G.F. Handel and his contemporaries for the two finest singers of the eighteenth century, Faustina Bordoni and Francesca Cuzzoni. Often wrongfully framed as rivals, these dazzling new recordings with Mary Bevan and Lucy Crowe reveal the distinctive yet versatile talent of the Italian vocalists. 

Conductor Bridget Cunningham continues her research and created Handel’s Queens and directs London Early Opera from the harpsichord. Handel’s Queens – as part of this important series serves as a further example of Cunningham’s dedication to imaginative programming and outstanding period performance on this double CD placing her at the forefront of baroque research and recording.

The Myrthen Ensemble SONGS TO THE MOON

This first recording from The Myrthen Ensemble is a 2-CD presentation of solo and group art songs inspired by the moon. The group was formed by pianist Joseph Middleton with a quartet of his regular vocal collaborators including Mary Bevan, Clara Mouriz, Allan Clayton and Marcus Farnsworth. Warlock, Barber and Maconchy contribute English-language art songs, which are used to introduce each disc. Brahms and Schumann fill the remainder of disc one. There are performances of individual distinction—Mouriz in Brahms’s Ständchen and Bevan in Schumann’s Mondnacht, for example. Were it not for a similar recording from Graham Johnson’s The Songmakers’ Almanac (Hyperion), then The Myrthen Ensemble would be without competition, but Johnson and company come out on top largely due to experience rather than any lack of musicality on the part of these newcomers. The second disc ranges across French-language solos and duets with a greater sense of nuance by Mompou, Hahn, Debussy, Massenet, Duparc, Fauré and Szulc. Clayton proves a useful tenor and Farnsworth a sonorous baritone;, they both complement Bevan and Mouriz with sensitivity. Joseph Middleton reinforces his reputation as the finest accompanist amongst younger generations, keenly realising the inferences that his part brings to the songs. Excellent sound, authoritative notes from Middleton and Richard Stokes, as well as texts and translations add to this rewarding nocturnal journey. Well worth exploring. (Classical Ear)