Handel: Solo Cantatas, Arias - Kowalski, Max, Kohler, Arman (2009)

Handel’s cantatas can be divided into two groups, those accompanied by continuo and those that add one or more obbligato instruments or a full orchestra. On disc 1, Jochen Kowalski sings five cantatas, one orchestral and four continuo. Kowalski has an attractive countertenor voice, not hooty or hollow sounding. He is adept at coloratura, and his voice is strong throughout its range, aside from a couple of high notes. He does not display much emotional range, but the cantatas he chose are not particularly dramatic and thus do not require it. Tasteful ornaments are added to da capos. The accompaniments are good. The orchestral cantata, Splende l’alba in oriente, is only available in one other currently available performance, by Gerard Lèsne on Virgin, a recording I have not heard. Mi palpita il cor has been recorded frequently. Of the eight recordings of the alto version, a recording by Paul Esswood on Hungaroton has long been my favorite, but it is out of print. Andreas Scholl on Harmonia Mundi and Gèrard Lesne on Virgin, neither heard by me, have been praised in Fanfare reviews. Figli del mesto cor and Dolce pur d’amore l’affanno are available on an equally well-sung Centaur recording by Jeffrey Gall. Vedendo amor, previously available on an excellent recording by Henri Ledroit on FY of six continuo cantatas (not currently available), can be had on the Scholl Harmonia Mundi disc mentioned above.

Disc 2 is shared by countertenor Axel Köhler and soprano Veronika Winter. Köhler contributes two continuo cantatas. He has virtues similar to Kowalski: attractiveness of voice, adeptness at coloratura, evenness of range. His cantatas also are not particularly dramatic and don’t call for great emotional range. He, too, adds tasteful ornaments to the da capo arias. One cantata, Venne volgia ad Amore, is not otherwise available (it is, in fact, new to me). Fra pensieri quel pensiero has only one current competitor, Patrice Djerejian on MSR, which I have not heard; Bernard Jacobson in Fanfare 27:4 admired the singing but not the accompaniments.

Veronika Winter chooses two orchestral cantatas that have been recorded many times. Winter sings with the severe white tone, completely lacking in vibrato, that some people apparently like but that I find lacks emotion and can be quite displeasing. In Un’ alma innamorata she has formidable competition. Emanuela Galli on Glossa is much more pleasant to listen to and more dramatic in delivery. In Armida abbandonata, the competition is more formidable still. Winter’s singing here is rather generic, not particularly responsive to the highly emotional text. Best of the competition are Janet Baker on EMI and Veronique Gens on Virgin.

Disc 3 is devoted to opera arias and orchestral excerpts. Köhler here displays the same virtues he brought to the cantata performances, but he is not always given an opportunity to attempt to portray a character. Howard Arman is best in the orchestral excerpts. In the arias, he is sometimes guilty of excessive speed, where largo becomes andante and allegro is transmuted into presto. This is especially true of the two arias from Orlando, which are so fast that Köhler has to engage in a mad scramble just to keep up. Other arias are not marred to this extent, but, in general, they are all too fast.

Handel’s continuo cantatas have been relatively ignored by the recording companies. Most remain unrecorded, waiting for the efforts of an enterprising company (Naxos? cpo?). Phoenix does a disservice by not including English translations of the texts. (Translations of the continuo cantata texts can be found in Handel as Orpheus by Ellen Harris.) The notes are also quite skimpy. Considering the attractive price and the few alternative performances of many of these cantatas, there is value in obtaining this collection.

Composer: George Frideric Handel
Performer: Jochen Kowalski, Veronika Winter, Axel Köhler, Balázs Maté, Raphael Alpermann,
Anne Schumann
Conductor: Hermann Max, Howard Arman
Orchestra/Ensemble: Academy for Ancient Music Berlin, Das Kleine Konzert, Halle Handel Festival Orchestra, Halle Handel Festival Orchestra