Hard on the heels of the LP release of Handel's Op. 6 concertos comes this CD issue. These performances, at present-day pitch, are lively in character and polished in ensemble; I find most of the tempos well chosen but just occasionally the Academy seems to overlook the natural airiness of Handel's music; I'm thinking in particular of the Allegro moderato finale of the Tenth Concerto where robustness is achieved at the expense of lightness and graceful poise. In a great many other instances, however, their vigorous approach does not exclude effective phrasing and articulation. The haunting music of the Largo of the Second Concerto, in which Romain Rolland found a Beethovenian pastoral spirit, is a good example of how sensitive this playing can be. The recorded sound, which I liked on the LP issue, is almost identical on CD except that there is marginally greater depth of perspective. If you want a performance of Handel's finest concertos on modern instruments you will be hard put to it at present to find a more satisfying one than this. Presentation in all but size is identical with the LP album.'