Until recently Handel's trio sonatas had a raw deal from recording companies. I remember a Supraphon issue with Ars Rediviva who played the two sets of trio sonatas published during Handel's lifetime; more recently, there have been several releases from CRD in which L'Ecole d'Orphee, using period instruments, have covered the same ground and much more, too. (Their new recording of Op. 5 is reviewed below.) The present set offers not only the trio sonatas published as Handel's Opp. 2 and 5, but also seven other trios as well; three of these are quite well known since they appear in Chrysander and are often known as the ''Dresden Sonatas''; only the first of them, however, is indisputably by Handel. The remaing four trios have only come to light during the present century and, as Anthony Hicks points out in his lucid introduction, one of them, in C major, still awaits publication in an accurate form. Handel's Op. 2 Trios were probably written over a period of 25 years or so. The earliest of them is No. 2 in G minor which may date from 1700 or therabouts. The Trio No. 6 in G minor also belongs to the first decade of the eighteenth century; but the remaining trios of Op. 2, as Hicks explains, almost certainly date from the years between 1717 and 1725. Op. 5 was published by Walsh in 1739 and contains a great many pieces which Handel drew from earlier orchestral works. That for me and, surely, for any lover of Handel's music, is one of its many attractions for you will find numerous movements from his operas, anthems and oratorios; and, if you happen not to recognize them you can always refer to the accompanying text which helpfully tells you the provenance of each where appropriate.
The players all use modern instruments at present-day pitch and the level of performance is high. The two violin players, Malcolm Latchem and Kenneth Sillito, are well matched whilst each at the same time projecting a sound quite distinct from the other; intonation is secure for the most part and I liked their lightness of approach. They play 11 out of the 20 sonatas included here. The remaining sonatas are shared between them and between Michala Petri and Elisabeth Selin (treble recorders), Neil Black and Celia Nicklin (oboes), William Bennett and Trevor Wye (flutes), with George Malcolm and Alan Cuckston (harpsichords), Denis Vigay (cello), and Graham Sheen (bassoon) comprising the continuo group. I enjoyed some of the playing of these artists more than others. Michala Petri plays very stylishly with admirably controlled vibrato. She has thought about ornamentation and articulation and there is a feeling of true ensemble playing. But there is a wide gulf between this approach and that, for instance, of William Bennett who sounds very much the soloist and who uses a vibrato much to wide for my taste. Others may disagree over this but, whilst admitting that he produces a beautiful sound and some admirably crisp playing, I cannot see that this almost constant heightening and intensifying of expression serves the best interests of the music. Neil Black and Celia Nicklin are much more controlled in this respect and give a fine performance of the Sonata for two oboes (Op. 5 No. 1).
The sessions took place on a number of different occasions between 1980 and 1983 but, though there are small variations in balance and acoustic, the over all impression is of a fine recorded sound. Here is an anthology of chamber music whose immense appeal cannot be other than irresistible to lovers of Handel and of late-baroque style. The performances at their best are excellent and I cannot imagine ever tiring of them. A fine contribution to the tercentenary year.'