George Frideric Handel: Apollo E Dafne/Harp Concerto In B-Flat

Apollo e Dante, Harp Concerto in B-flat, Concerto Grosso in B-flat Beyond its musical riches, this medley of 1950s BBC radio broadcasts (from the Richard Itter Collection) opens a portal on England’s post-war Handelian revival. It is no accident that all these performances involve Thurston Dart, as harpsichordist, conductor or musicologist. His energy inspired a generation of musicians to explore neglected works by Handel and a host of other baroque composers, in a lithe chamber style more appropriate to their work than the heavyweight, orchestral grandeur favoured by previous generations. The efforts of Dart and other performers featured here paved the way for those more radical, ‘historically informed’ performance practices, which swept all before them in later decades.

Handel:
 Apollo e Dafne, HWV 122 (Excerpts):
  No. 2, La terra è liberata
  No. 3, Pende il ben dell'universo [Live]
  No. 4, Ch'il superbetto Amore
  No. 5, Spezza l'arco e getta l'armi [Live]
  No. 6, Felicissima quest'alma [Live]
  No. 7, Che voce! Che beltà!
  No. 8, Ardi, adori, e preghi in vano
  No. 9, Che crudel!
  No. 10, Una guerra ho dentro il seno [Live]
  No. 11, Placati al fin, o cara
  No. 12, Come rosa in su la spina [Live]
  No. 13, Ah, chu'un Dio
  No. 14, Com ein ciel [Live]
  No. 15, Odi la mia ragion!
  No. 16, Deh, lascia addolcire quell'aspro rigor [Live]
  No. 17, Sempre t'adorerò!
  No. 18, Mie piante correte [Live]
  No. 19, Dafne, dove sei tu?
  No. 20, Cara pianta [Live]
   with Thomas Hemsley (baritone), Arda Mandikian (soprano) & The Geraint Jones Orchestra, Geraint Jones

Concerto Grosso in B-Flat Major, Op. 3 No. 1, HWV 312
 with Thurston Dart (harpsichord) & Boyd Neel Orchestra

Harp Concerto in B flat major, Op. 4 No. 6, HWV 294
  with Osian Ellis (harp) & Boyd Neel Orchestra, Thurston Dart

 Sosame, HWV 30
  with Alfred Deller (counter-tenor), Margaret Ritchie (soprano), Thurston Dart (harpsichord) & Saint Cecilia Orchestra, Anthony Lewis

"The principal work on the disc is Handel’s dramatic cantata Apollo e Dafne. It is directed by Geraint Jones, another luminary of our resurgent interest in Baroque music. The vocal protagonists are baritone Thomas Hemsley – here on splendid form – and soprano Arda Mandikian."
BBC Music Magazine - February 2021