John Nelson, The English Concert – Handel: Messiah, HWV 56 (2023) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz]

John Nelson, The English Concert – Handel: Messiah, HWV 56 (2023)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 02:47:28 minutes | 2,94 GB | Genre: Classical, Opera
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Warner Classics

“A lifetime of performing Messiah has brought me enough courage to record this singularly famous piece of music. With the finest musicians and soloists on the planet surrounding me, I’m finally ready to lay down my personal interpretation for posterity.”

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The English Concert and Andrew Manze – Vivaldi: Concertos for the Emperor (2006) [Official Digital Download 24bit/88,2kHz]

The English Concert and Andrew Manze – Vivaldi: Concertos for the Emperor (2006)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/88,2 kHz | Time – 01:18:54 minutes | 1,36 GB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © harmonia mundi

No, not more Vivaldi Violin Concertos! How can there be any more? Have not decades of scholarships overturned every possible rock to find every possible violin concerto by the composer of The Four Seasons, everybody’s perennial favorite? Although the answer is apparently not, that is, in fact, good news: that there are still more lovely, charming, hilarious, touching, and mind-bogglingly difficult Violin Concertos by Vivaldi should warm the hearts and open the wallets of classical music lovers around the world.

And that is not all the good news. The really good news is that seven more-or-less new Violin Concertos by Vivaldi have been recorded by super-virtuoso Andrew Manze leading the super-fine English Concert. And while none of them, not even the super-sultry L’amoroso, will make most listeners shed their allegiance to Vivaldi’s four greatest hits, all of them are in truth just as lovely, charming, hilarious, touching, and perhaps even more mind-bogglingly difficult Violin Concertos that Manze dispatches with his by now customary panache and aplomb. Yes, more Vivaldi Violin Concertos! Harmonia Mundi’s digital sound is vivid and immediate.

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The English Concert – Dall’Abaco, Porpora, Marcello, Tartini & Telemann: Concertos (2018) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz]

The English Concert – Dall’Abaco, Porpora, Marcello, Tartini & Telemann: Concertos (2018)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 01:08:41 minutes | 1,35 GB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Signum Records

Founded in 1973 by Trevor Pinnock, the English Concert has been a leading light in the performance of Baroque and Classical music for for over 40 years. Under their present Artistic Director Harry Bicket and with distinguished guest artists they continue to perform with the passion, sophistication and technical mastery established at their creation. Such is the commitment and passion that their players bring to every performance. Drawn not only from home-grown talent, The English Concert can boast a truly international cast of musicians. Soloists in their own right, and backed-up by scholarly knowledge of style and genre, the close-knit relationship between their musicians makes for a truly special blend of sound. This new recording features the talents of these soloists in performances of Concertii by Telemann, Marcello, Dall’Abaco, Tartini and Porpora.

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The English Concert, Harry Bicket, Sophie Bevan – Handel: La Resurrezione (2022) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz]

The English Concert, Harry Bicket, Sophie Bevan - Handel: La Resurrezione (2022) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz] Download

The English Concert, Harry Bicket, Sophie Bevan – Handel: La Resurrezione (2022)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 01:57:14 minutes | 2,05 GB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Linn Records

Following their acclaimed recording of Handel’s Rodelinda, The English Concert and Harry Bicket continue their Handel series with a superb soloist line-up including Sophie Bevan, Iestyn Davies, Ashley Riches, Hugo Hymas and Lucy Crowe.

Starting with an unusual verbal altercation between an Angel and Lucifer, Handel’s La Resurrezione is an extraordinary retelling of the three days between Christ’s death and resurrection which is unlike any other Passion or Oratorio. This journey centres around women, Mary Magdalene and Mary Cleophas, in a way that seems very modern, and which mirrors the ambiguities of their feelings in music that is completely original in concept and orchestration. The journey from grief, through hope, to love is wonderfully depicted. The message seems to be that grief is the price we pay for love; and that should be part of the narrative of our lives, not the defining moment.
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Elizabeth Watts, The English Concert, Laurence Cummings – Scarlatti: Con eco d’amore (2015) [Official Digital Download 24bit/88,2kHz]

Elizabeth Watts, The English Concert, Laurence Cummings – Scarlatti: Con eco d’amore (2015)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/88,2 kHz | Time – 01:12:06 minutes | 1,30 GB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © harmonia mundi

Master of the Aria. With a voice described as “one of the most beautiful Britain has seen in a generation” (International Record Review), soprano Elizabeth Watts has established herself among the brightest talents performing today. In this selection of rarely heard Alessandro Scarlatti arias from his cantatas, serenatas and operas, she is joined by the acclaimed period instrument ensemble The English Concert led by Laurence Cummings.

Le maître de l’aria. Sa voix – “une des plus belles voix de la scène britannique depuis une génération” (International Record Review) – a permis à Elizabeth Watts de s’imposer parmi les meilleurs talents d’aujourd’hui. Elle interprète ici des airs peu connus tirés de cantates, de sérénades et d’opéras d’Alessandro Scarlatti, accompagnés par l’excellent ensemble d’instruments anciens The English Concert, dirigé du clavecin par Laurence Cummings.

Meister der Arie. Mit einer Stimme, die man als “eine der schönsten einer ganzen Generation in England” (International Record Review) bezeichnet hat, profilierte sich Elizabeth Watts als eines der glanzvollsten Talente, die heute tätig sind. Diese Auswahl selten zu hörender Sopran-Arien von Alessandro Scarlatti aus seinen Kantaten, Serenaden und Opern hat sie mit dem erfolgreichen Originalklangensemble The English Concert unter der Leitung von Laurence Cummings eingespielt.

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The English Concert, Harry Bicket – Handel: Serse (2023) [Official Digital Download 24bit/192kHz]

The English Concert, Harry Bicket – Handel: Serse (2023)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/192 kHz | Time – 02:51:41 minutes | 6,13 GB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Linn Records

In what has become an annual ritual, Harry Bicket and the outstanding English Concert returned to Carnegie Hall after a pandemic-induced hiatus for a Sunday afternoon presentation of another Handel opus: Serse.

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Andrew Manze, The English Concert – Mozart: Night Music (2003) MCH SACD ISO

Andrew Manze, The English Concert – Mozart: Night Music (2003)
Classical, Orchestral | SACD ISO: DSD64 2.0, DST64 5.1 > 1-bit/2.8224 MHz | Artwork | 3.35 GB
Label: Harmonia Mundi | Release Year: 2003

The title of this exceptional disc, “Night Music”, should not be taken to mean that the performances are in any way dark, mysterious, droopy, sluggish, or otherwise conventionally “nocturnal”. Rather, the term evokes its 18th century musical meaning: a time for fun, relaxation, parties, entertainment both indoors and out, and of course, romance. Indeed, “Romantic” is perhaps the best way to describe these virtuosic, impulsive, and extravagantly expressive performances by the inimitable Andrew Manze and his team of crack “authentic-instrument” players.

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The English Concert, Rosemary Joshua, Sarah Connolly, Harry Bicket – Purcell, Locke, Blow & Gibbons (Wigmore Hall Live) (2017) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz]

The English Concert, Rosemary Joshua, Sarah Connolly, Harry Bicket – Purcell, Locke, Blow & Gibbons (Wigmore Hall Live) (2017)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 01:13:06 minutes | 1,25 GB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Wigmore Hall Live

Renowned period ensemble The English Concert and Harry Bicket are joined by two singers at the height of their powers, bright-voiced soprano Rosemary Joshua and the graceful mezzo-soprano Sarah Connolly, as they delve into the musical world in which Henry Purcell was immersed.

Through the course of this concert, recorded live at Wigmore Hall, we explore the music of 17th-century England; from the irresistible Suite from ‘The Tempest’ by Matthew Locke to John Blow’s spritely Chaconne in G, crowned by beautifully crafted and luminous songs by Purcell himself.

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Alison Balsom, The English Concert, Trevor Pinnock – Sound the Trumpet: Royal Music of Purcell and Handel (2012) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz]

Alison Balsom, The English Concert, Trevor Pinnock - Sound the Trumpet: Royal Music of Purcell and Handel (2012) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz] Download

Alison Balsom, The English Concert, Trevor Pinnock – Sound the Trumpet: Royal Music of Purcell and Handel (2012)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 01:06:19 minutes | 1,15 GB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Warner Classics

In the year of Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee, Alison Balsom celebrates the heroic era of the Baroque trumpet in works by George Frideric Handel (1685-1759) and Henry Purcell (1658 or 1659-1695), whose anthems, odes, sinfonias and operas have provided the music for numerous royal celebrations from their own day to the present.

Joining forces with Trevor Pinnock, harpsichordist, conductor and pioneer of historical performance, and with the English Concert orchestra that he founded, Balsom demonstrates the versatility and expressive power of her valve-less instrument in original works and new arrangements. These include Purcell’s Sound the trumpet and Handel’s Eternal Source of light divine in duet with countertenor Iestyn Davies and Purcell’s The Plaint from The Fairy Queen in duet with soprano Lucy Crowe. Further repertoire includes suites from Purcell’s semi-operas King Arthur (1691) and The Fairy Queen (1692) in new arrangements by Balsom and Pinnock, Handel’s Water Piece in D Major HWV 341 and his Oboe Concerto No. 1 in B-flat Major HWV 301 transposed into C Major.

Alison Balsom is one of today’s most popular classical musicians. Having managed to break through to the mainstream without abandoning her musical integrity, she continues to draw ever-wider audiences for her performances and recordings of diverse repertoire.
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The English Concert, Harry Bicket, Lucy Crowe, Iestyn Davies, Joshua Ellicott, Brandon Cedel, Jess Dandy – Handel: Rodelinda (2021) [Official Digital Download 24bit/192kHz]

The English Concert, Harry Bicket, Lucy Crowe, Iestyn Davies, Joshua Ellicott, Brandon Cedel, Jess Dandy - Handel: Rodelinda (2021) [Official Digital Download 24bit/192kHz] Download

The English Concert, Harry Bicket, Lucy Crowe, Iestyn Davies, Joshua Ellicott, Brandon Cedel, Jess Dandy – Handel: Rodelinda (2021)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/192 kHz | Time – 03:20:04 minutes | 7,43 GBGenre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Digital Booklet, Front Cover | © Linn Records

Handel’s 1725 hit opera Rodelinda was written for the greatest voices of its day and is performed here by some of today’s finest, as The English Concert and artistic director Harry Bicket’s acclaimed concert cycle of Handel operas appears for the first time on Linn.

Lucy Crowe and Iestyn Davies are the devoted partners Rodelinda and Bertarido, heading a cast packed with exactly the sort of vocal star-power Handel would have expected, including Joshua Ellicott, Tim Mead, Brandon Cedel and Jess Dandy. Both Davies and Crowe have won acclaim for their performances in these roles: BBC Music Magazine wrote, ‘Iestyn Davies stole the show with aria after aria of heavenly purity and ardour’, whilst BachTrack commented, ‘Lucy Crowe gave a brilliant performance … Her singing, firmly centred, agile and sparking with temperament, was a triumph.’

The English Concert’s reputation for combining urgency, passion and fire with precision, delicacy and beauty will ensure their forthcoming series of Handel operas will become an essential part of Linn’s catalogue. The English Concert will be releasing Handel’s La resurrezione in 2021.
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