Handel: Concerti a due cori

Available for over a year

For Handel a concerto was a means to an end, a tempting bonbon to entice an audience to the main event of the evening. His three Concerti a due cori (Concertos for two choirs) were specially written to help sell seats to his 1747 and 1748 Covent Garden oratorio seasons, Handel recycling highlights from his older choral works and operas, stirringly re-scored for two orchestras with prominent wind and horn parts. Thus these concertos are an attractive proposition, packed full of Handel's 'greatest hits', one after another, whose qualities come over especially well in period instrument performances. Recommended Recording: Freiburger Barockorchester; Gottfried von der Goltz and Petra Müllejans (conductors) Harmonia Mundi HMM 905272 (CD) Other Recommended Recordings: Below are other recordings that Simon also liked, although we can’t guarantee availability. Zefiro; Alfredo Bernardini (conductor) Arcana A386 The Academy of Ancient Music, Christopher Hogwood Decca 4117212 (digital download) The English Concert, Trevor Pinnock (conductor) DG Archiv 4791932 (11 CDs)