Handel: Arcadian Duets

1	Ahi nelle sorti umane, ca
2	Ahi nelle sorti umane, ca
3	No, di voi non vo' fidarm
4	No, di voi non vo' fidarm
5	No, di voi non vo' fidarm
6	Caro autor di mia doglia,
7	Caro autor di mia doglia,
8	Caro autor di mia doglia,
9	Quel fior ch'all'alba rid
10	Quel fior ch'all'alba rid
11	Quel fior ch'all'alba rid
12	Conservate, raddopiate, d
13	Conservate, raddopiate, d
14	Tanti strali al sen mi sc
15	Tanti strali al sen mi sc
16	Tanti strali al sen mi sc
17	Va, speme infida, duet fo
18	Va, speme infida, duet fo
19	Va, speme infida, duet fo
20	A mirarvi io son intento,
21	A mirarvi io son intento,
22	A mirarvi io son intento,
23	Sono liete, fortunate, du
24	Sono liete, fortunate, du
25	Sono liete, fortunate, du
Handel: Arcadian Duets
1.	Ahi nelle sorti umane, cantata for 2 sopranos & continuo, HWV 179 6:59
	Composed by George Frideric Handel
	Conducted by Emmanuelle Haïm
	Performed by Natalie Dessay and Véronique Gens
2.	No, di voi non vo' fidarmi, duet for 2 sopranos & continuo, HWV 189 6:00
	Composed by George Frideric Handel
	Conducted by Emmanuelle Haïm
	Performed by Laura Claycomb and Anna Maria Panzarella
3.	Caro autor di mia doglia, duet, HWV 182: Caro autor di mia doglia 2:19
	Composed by George Frideric Handel
	Conducted by Emmanuelle Haïm
	Performed by Patricia Petibon and Paul Agnew
4.	Caro autor di mia doglia, duet, HWV 182: No, che d'altrui che di te 2:03
	Composed by George Frideric Handel
	Performed by Emmanuelle Haïm, Emmanuelle Haïm, Le Concert d'Astrée, Patricia Petibon and Paul Agnew
	Conducted by Emmanuelle Haïm
5.	Caro autor di mia doglia, duet, HWV 182: Dagli amori flagellata 3:56
	Composed by George Frideric Handel
	Performed by Emmanuelle Haïm, Emmanuelle Haïm, Le Concert d'Astrée, Patricia Petibon and Paul Agnew
	Conducted by Emmanuelle Haïm
6.	Quel fior ch'all'alba ride, duet for 2 sopranos & continuo, HWV 192 4:47
	Composed by George Frideric Handel
	Conducted by Emmanuelle Haïm
	Performed by Anna Maria Panzarella and Patricia Petibon
7.	Conservate, raddopiate, duet for soprano, alto & continuo, HWV 185 4:30
	Composed by George Frideric Handel
	Conducted by Emmanuelle Haïm
	Performed by Brian Asawa and Juanita Lascarro
8.	Tanti strali al sen mi scocci, duet for soprano, alto & continuo, HWV 197 9:19
	Composed by George Frideric Handel
	Conducted by Emmanuelle Haïm
	Performed by Sara Mingardo and Laura Claycomb
9.	Va, speme infida, duet for 2 sopranos & continuo, HWV 199 7:15
	Composed by George Frideric Handel
	Conducted by Emmanuelle Haïm
	Performed by Laura Claycomb and Anna Maria Panzarella
10.	A mirarvi io son intento, duet for soprano, alto & continuo, HWV 178 10:12
	Composed by George Frideric Handel
	Performed by Emmanuelle Haïm, Emmanuelle Haïm, Marijana Mijanovic and Patricia Petibon
	Conducted by Emmanuelle Haïm
11.	Sono liete, fortunate, duet for soprano, alto & continuo, HWV 194 4:48
	Composed by George Frideric Handel
	Conducted by Emmanuelle Haïm
	Performed by Sara Mingardo and Laura Claycomb

Barnes & Noble

Emmanuelle Haim has been the harpsichordist of choice for maestros from Simon Rattle to William Christie, and, as one of the brightest new lights in early music, she's fast emerging as a leader in her own right. Arcadian Duets is Haim's directorial debut on disc, a delightful collection of nine Handel duets that also introduces Haim's instrumental ensemble, Le Concert d'Astrée, which she formed in Paris in 2000, and brings together several noted vocalists, including sopranos Natalie Dessay, Véronique Gens, and Patricia Petibon, along with countertenor Brian Asawa and tenor Paul Agnew. The selections span Handel's creative life and are settings of Italian pastoral poems for two voices with accompaniment. They're not among Handel's best-known works, yet they're beautifully crafted and contain some true gems. Two of the nine -- "No, di voi non vo' fidarmi" and "Quel fior che all'alba ride" -- recall familiar choruses from the Messiah, reminding us of Handel's notorious fondness for self-borrowing. Those two duets were composed in 1741, shortly before Messiah, yet many of these works are difficult to date. Some clearly come from Handel's early days in Italy, where a love for Italian poetry must have been firmly planted in the young composer's mind; others come from his later London years, and still more were probably composed in the intervening German period. "Ahi, nelle sorte umane," however, the opening work, is securely dated to 1745, making it the last of the group to be written. It's a little jewel of a piece, reminiscent of Couperin's stunning third Leçon de ténèbres. Powerful, moving, and with dazzling writing for the sopranos (sung beautifully here by Dessay and Gens), it shows Handel's late-life mastery at its most Italianate. It's an impressive beginning to an impressive debut from Haim and company. Warmly recommended. EJ Johnson

BBC Music Magazine

[The singers] relish the expressive potential of the amorous texts and Handel's piercing dissonances, abetted by the varied colours and light, springing rhythms of the continuo group. If I were to single out just one pairing, it would have to be Natalie Dessay and Véronique Gens for their sensuous and impassioned performance of "Ahi, nelle sorte umane." Handel-singing surely doesn't come much better than that. Richard Wigmore