Word: handel
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...Sunday October 26, the Handel and Haydn Society, under the direction of Christopher Hogwood, presented the second of two performances of their season opener, Handel's L'Allegro, Il Penseroso ed Il Moderato. This 1740 work combines excerpts from two Milton poems, L'Allegro and Il Penseroso, with original poetry by Handel's librettist Charles Jennens, the Il Moderato, set to what is essentially orchestral accompaniment...
This a cappella piece consists of three different songs based on Bible texts taken from Psalms, Luke, Matthew and Deuteronomy. Each section has a distinctive feel, and in sequence they seem to trace the history of Brahms' own musical influences: From Handel and Bach in the first section to painfully beautiful dissonances in the second section, then segued into a characteristically Romantic polyphonic style for the last section...
Artistic Director Iona Brown led the orchestra as concertmaster in Friday's concert, which consisted of many Baroque favorites: Handel's Concerto grosso in A minor, the Orchestral Suite No. 2 in B minor, the Concerto in D minor for Harpsichord and the Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 in D Major, all by Bach...
...Concerto grosso in A minor is an excellent example of Handel's work not only as a composer, but as a master businessman. Handel wrote this piece keeping in mind the conservative taste of the English aristocracy who would comprise his audience. The Concerto is therefore in the style of Corelli, who was London's favorite composer at the time. While Handel has sometimes been criticized for his use of other composers' work and imitation of their styles, in retrospect it becomes clear that such composing techniques were a survival tactic. The orchestra's performance of this piece was charming...
...level of communication between performer and listener in gestures such as the encore to the Orchestral Suite hearken directly to the roots of Bach's music. While in Symphony Hall it is somewhat difficult to conceive of the intimate surroundings in which Bach's and Handel's music was originally performed, the Academy succeeded in decreasing distances and blurring the boundaries between stage and audience. In the end, both shared a euphoric experience. The Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields reminds one that classical music is not meant to be a stodgy highbrow event, but a form of exchange...