Essential Handel

Included in this 2 CD set are many familiar pieces from the enormous output of George Frideric Handel, one of the greatest composers of the Baroque era. They range from popular choral items like the magnificent Hallelujah Chorus from Messiah and the Coronation Anthem Zadok the Priest, heard in the film 'The Madness of King George', through extracts from Handel’s famous Water Music and several lively organ concertos including ‘The Cuckoo and the Nightingale’, to superb vocal solos such as ‘Ombra mai fu’ (also known as Handel’s Largo) and ‘Let the bright seraphim’.

The set concludes with substantial extracts from Music for the Royal Fireworks conducted by one of today’s finest Handel interpreters, Sir Charles Mackerras.

Contents:
CD 1
1. Solomon HWV67 - Sinfonia: The Arrival of the Queen of Sheba
Ian Watson

2. Serse 'Xerxes' - Ombra mai fu (Largo)
Harry Bicket

3. Suite No.1 in F Major - VI - Air
Prague Chamber Orchestra

4. Suite No.1 in F Major - VII - Minuet
Prague Chamber Orchestra

5. Organ Concerto No.13 in F ('The Cuckoo and the Nightingale') - II. Allegro
Georges Armand

6. Harpsichord Suite No.4 in D minor HWV437 - Sarabande
Alexander Briger

7. Suite in D for trumpet and strings - I. Overture
Württembergisches Kammerorchester Heilbronn

8. Suite in D for trumpet and strings - II. Gigue (Allegro)
Württembergisches Kammerorchester Heilbronn

9. Suite in D for trumpet and strings - III. Air (Minuetto)
Württembergisches Kammerorchester Heilbronn

10. Suite in D for trumpet and strings - IV. Bourrée
Württembergisches Kammerorchester Heilbronn

11. Suite in D for trumpet and strings - V. Marche
Württembergisches Kammerorchester Heilbronn

12. Samson HWV57 - Let the bright Seraphim
Pamela Coburn

13. Suite No.2 in D Major - XII - Alla Hornpipe
Prague Chamber Orchestra

14. Messiah highlights (ed. Basil Lam) - Ev'ry valley (tenor)
English Chamber Orchestra

15. Suite No.3 in G Major - XVII - Rigaudon (Presto)
Prague Chamber Orchestra

16. Suite No.3 in G Major - XVIII
Prague Chamber Orchestra

17. For unto us a Child is born (Chorus)
English Chamber Orchestra

18. Concerto Grosso in C major, 'Alexander's Feast' - I. Allegro
Nicholas McGegan

19. Suite No.5 in E major HWV 430 - Air con Variazioni (Andantino)
Sviatoslav Richter

20. Solomon HWV67 - From the censer curling rise (ed. Basil Lam)
Menuhin Festival Orchestra

21. Concerto En Si Bémol Majeur Pour Harpe Et Cordes Op.4 N°6 : I Andante - Allegro
Pierre Pierlot

22. Oboe Concerto No.1 in B flat HWV301 (arr. Mackerras & Rothwell) - II. Siciliana
Valda Aveling

23. Hallelujah (Chorus)
English Chamber Orchestra

CD 2
1. Zadok the Priest
Royal Choral Society

2. Organ Concerto No.1 in G minor, Op.4 No.1 (ed. N. D. Boyling) - First movement: Larghetto e staccato
Colin Tilney

3. Messiah highlights (ed. Basil Lam) - I know that my Redeemer liveth (soprano)
Elizabeth Harwood

4. Saul HWV53 - Dead March
Kenneth Montgomery

5. Semele HWV58 - Where E're You Walk
Harry Bicket

6. Seht, er kommt mit Preis gekrönt and March (Judas Maccabaeus)
Chor der St. Hedwigs-Kathedrale Berlin

7. Concerto Grosso Op.6 No.6 in G minor - III. Musette (Larghetto)
Yehudi Menuhin

8. Dixit Dominus; Gloria HWV232
Teresa Zylis-Gara

9. ACT 2 - Verdi prati, selve amene
City of London Baroque Sinfonia

10. Organ Concerto No.9 in B flat 'Hallelujah' Op.7 No.3 (ed. Neville Boyling) - I. Allegro
Valda Aveling

11. Why do the nations (bass)
English Chamber Orchestra

12. Music for the Royal Fireworks HWV351 - Overture
Sir Charles Mackerras

13. Music for the Royal Fireworks HWV351 - Bourrée
Sir Charles Mackerras

14. Music for the Royal Fireworks HWV351 - La paix
Sir Charles Mackerras

15. Music for the Royal Fireworks HWV351 - La Réjouissance
Sir Charles Mackerras