March 4–11, 1999
disc quicks
Various Performers
Best Loved Handel: Water Music, ConcertiGrossi, Messiah (highlights), Coronation Anthems, Dixit Dominus
(Seraphim)
Record collectors who may now sport a glowing capof flesh where hair once grew will remember Seraphim records,the budget LP label of Angel-EMI. Seraphim's producers had thepick of what still is one of the great recorded legacies of alltime, stretching to the dawn of the recorded age. Those grandLPs were dirt cheap, featuring superb performances and remarkablygood production values. Now Seraphim is back on the silver disc,the return of a dear old friend. This Handel compilation bodeswell for the new Seraphim. With stellar performers like YehudiMenuhin, the Linde Consort, Janet Baker, Charles Mackerras andso on, you really cannot go wrong, especially if you are lookingfor an introduction to the music of the baroque master. Of course,this 4-CD set barely scratches the surface of Handel's output,with nary a note of the great operas, no other oratorio besidesMessiah and no keyboard music. But in all, given the inevitablecompromises, this is a terrific budget release. Time will tellif the original Seraphim magic will be fully recaptured.
