Handel Celebrates God

Inward rapture and outward joy is expressed throughout.

Composer: Handel
Repertoire: Neun Deutsche Arien
Artists: Carolyn Sampson (soprano), The King’s Consort/King
Rating: 3/5

Genre: Vocal
Label: Hyperion CDA67627

The ‘Nine German Arias’ are settings of sacred verses by Barthold Heinrich Brockes, the author of the Handel oratorio known as the Brockes Passion. The words celebrate, in a charmingly naïve manner, the presence of God in the natural world. Handel’s music, scored for soprano, violin and continuo, is equally charming and, as so often, the tunes enticingly anticipate or recall other compositions of his. Carolyn Sampson beautifully expresses inward rapture and outward joy, and she is touchingly wistful in ‘Süsser Blumen’. She is nicely matched by the violin of Stéphane-Marie Degand, and the spiky tone of Alexandra Bellamy is an extra pleasure in three oboe sonatas.