George Frideric Handel
Alexander’s Feast; Ode for St. Cecilia’s Day
Simone Kermes, soprano; Virgil Hartinger, tenor; Konstantin Wolff, bass
Kölner Kammerchor; Collegium Cartusianum
Peter Neumann, conductor
Carus
Handel’s Alexander’s Feast, a setting of a 1697 Cecilian
ode by John Dryden, was a success from the outset, remaining popular throughout
the composer’s lifetime and beyond. It’s easy to understand why when you hear
the reams of gorgeous melody, the rousing choruses and the dramatic airs, not
to mention the abundant and varied orchestral colors Handel devised for this
celebration of “The Power of Musick” (the work’s subtitle).
The instrumental playing by the Collegium Cartusianum is
terrific overall and very much in the spirit of Handel’s ambitious scoring. The
choir revels in the extrovert character of choruses such as “The list’ning
crowd” and “The many rend the skies.” Bass Konstantin Wolff is superb; one of
the disc’s highlights is his riveting rendition of “Revenge, Timotheus cries,”
enriched by the terrific instrumental ensemble playing. Another memorable few
minutes is soprano Simone Kermes’ “Thais led the way,” so wonderfully,
sensitively interpreted — as is her performance of the Ode’s “What passion cannot Music raise,” one of the most devastatingly beautiful airs in all of Handel’s output,
joined here by a perfectly realized cello obbligato by Juris Teichmanis.
- David Vernier
