L'Allegro, il Penseroso, ed il Moderato

It is at least worth noting that what many consider Handel's most vernal masterpiece, a work that abounds in musical imagery evoking aspects of the English countryside at its most resplendent, was created and first performed during the coldest winter ever recorded in London, 1739-40. The Thames froze solid, theaters closed, life came to a standstill, everyone shivered. No one ventured out except for reasons of great urgency. The advertisements for L'Allegro's first performance stressed that "Care is taken to have the House secur'd against the Cold, constant Fires being order'd to be kept in the House 'till the Time of Performance."

With L'Allegro, il Penseroso ed il Moderato Handel attained a consistency in expressive English text setting that he had already mastered in Italian. Circumstances forced the situation, but Handel's unique musical and linguistic genius provided the means. John Milton's masterly early ode extolling the contrasting temperaments of Mirth and Melancholy offered a vast palette of expressive language, an almost embarrassing richness of imagery and detail, from which Handel created a musical landscape of astounding beauty. Read more...

The Libretto:
http://www.karadar.com/Librettos/handel_allegro.html

The CD
From 1981 a very old recording for a Handel piece that isn't Messiah, but it has stood the test of time. All the kaleidoscope of emotions are captured well. L'Allegro is one of Handel's very greatest works, which means it isvery great, and the extracts below will give you an idea why.
http://www.amazon.com/Handel-LAllegro-Penseroso-McLaughlin-Monteverdi/dp/B000005E6J

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"If I were but of noble birth..." - Rod Corkin
http://classicalmusicmayhem.freeforums.org/handel-semele-t668.html

Any comments welcome!

_________________
"If I were but of noble birth..." - Rod Corkin
http://classicalmusicmayhem.freeforums.org/handel-semele-t668.html

I'm sure this lifted the spirits of all who listened during that coldwinter - or pehaps bringing up images of lush forests, green pastures, and 'merry bells' just made them more grumpy!

This oratorio is very light-hearted. I quite enjoyed the samples, some very joyous moments here. Gardiner is generally a safe bet for period performance, with few exceptions.

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Sorin Eushayson wrote:

This oratorio is very light-hearted. I quite enjoyed the samples, some very joyous moments here. Gardiner is generally a safe bet for period performance, with few exceptions.

Well you missed out the other two, which are totally different. One is probably the most melancholy piece Handel wrote, the other is maybe the most radiantly beautiful.

_________________
"If I were but of noble birth..." - Rod Corkin
http://classicalmusicmayhem.freeforums.org/handel-semele-t668.html

Rod Corkin wrote:

Sorin Eushayson wrote: This oratorio is very light-hearted. I quite enjoyed the samples, some very joyous moments here. Gardiner is generally a safe bet for period performance, with few exceptions. Well you missed out the other two, which are totally different. One is probably the most melancholy piece Handel wrote, the other is maybe the most radiantly beautiful.

No, I listened to those too. Very dour pieces for sure, but I really liked the joyous moments in the first three samples.

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My Current Thread:
Bach - Cello Suites

Sorin Eushayson wrote:

No, I listened to those too. Very dour pieces for sure, but I really liked the joyous moments in the first three samples.

Fair enough! Thanks for your comments.

_________________
"If I were but of noble birth..." - Rod Corkin
http://classicalmusicmayhem.freeforums.org/handel-semele-t668.html