George Frederick Handel's Song for St. Cecilia's Day; the Concerto Grosso, Op. 6/7; and the short cantata Look Down, Harmonious Saint, make up the sunny program for this 2012 Delphian release. This is the second album by the period ensemble Ludus Baroque, following its 2011 release of the ode, Alexander's Feast, and it is appropriate as a companion album, since Handel composed the cantata in 1736, the same year as the more famous ode, while the Song for St. Cecilia's Day and the Concerto Grosso were composed in 1739, three ...
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George Frederick Handel's Song for St. Cecilia's Day; the Concerto Grosso, Op. 6/7; and the short cantata Look Down, Harmonious Saint, make up the sunny program for this 2012 Delphian release. This is the second album by the period ensemble Ludus Baroque, following its 2011 release of the ode, Alexander's Feast, and it is appropriate as a companion album, since Handel composed the cantata in 1736, the same year as the more famous ode, while the Song for St. Cecilia's Day and the Concerto Grosso were composed in 1739, three years after Alexander's Feast. The featured vocalists are soprano Mary Bevan and tenor Ed Lyon, who sing with refinement, discretion, and polish, and Richard Neville-Towle conducts the chorus and instrumentalists with a fine ear for crisply articulated details and authentic style. The recording sounds bright, spacious, and clean, and the acoustics give the music a resonant luster, particularly in the strings. ~ Blair Sanderson, Rovi
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