CD-Charts Position 1
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Handel: Solomon /Scholl · Dam-Jensen · Hagley · Bickley · Gritton · Agnew · Harvey · Gabrieli Consort & Players · McCreesh

Search: Praise The Lord
by: Susan Gritton, Paul Agnew

Release Date February 08, 1999
What a pleasure it has been, discovering Handel's 'Solomon', through Paul mc'creesh's new recording.I will not attempt to review in detail the contents of three full discs of exquisite music, but will offer an overall impression, with attention paid to one or two special aspects, and musical moments. Of course,for Andreas Scholl fans, his participation on this recording may well be a decisive factor, and his performance in the title role is indeed fantastic, but ( and how fortunate!) equal respects must also be paid to the other singers too: Peter Harvey and Paul Agnew, give splendid performances (sample Agnew's "Golden Columns", on disc three, and you'll realise that the set was worth buying just for that!), not to mention ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 2
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Handel: Solomon

Search: Praise The Lord
by: Nancy Argenta Barbara Hendricks Carolyn Watkinson Anthony Rolfe Johnson The Monteverdi Choir English Baroque Soloists John Eliot Gardiner

Release Date May 15, 2006
Reviewing a PG Rosette recording in detail after more than two decades would be superfluous. This being my first SOLOMON, I confess that I didn't find much of the score entirely memorable at the beginning, but those gems revealed themselves on repeated hearings; however, my all-time favourite Handel oratorio is still THEODORA. Though I can't find fault with its performative and sonic qualities, this classic recording has to lose a star on account of Gardiner's fatal decision to eliminate five arias: in the accompanying booklet, JEG defends sanctioning the cuts, arguing (unconvincingly for me) that they were composed for specific singers (aren't many of those singer requests masterpieces?), and that they hold up the action (if this were the case, ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 3
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The Best Of Handel

Search: Praise The Lord
by: Various Artists

Release Date April 11, 2005
Reviewing a PG Rosette recording in detail after more than two decades would be superfluous. This being my first SOLOMON, I confess that I didn't find much of the score entirely memorable at the beginning, but those gems revealed themselves on repeated hearings; however, my all-time favourite Handel oratorio is still THEODORA. Though I can't find fault with its performative and sonic qualities, this classic recording has to lose a star on account of Gardiner's fatal decision to eliminate five arias: in the accompanying booklet, JEG defends sanctioning the cuts, arguing (unconvincingly for me) that they were composed for specific singers (aren't many of those singer requests masterpieces?), and that they hold up the action (if this were the case, ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 4
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Handel: Oratorios

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by: John Eliot Gardiner

Release Date September 19, 2005
Reviewing a PG Rosette recording in detail after more than two decades would be superfluous. This being my first SOLOMON, I confess that I didn't find much of the score entirely memorable at the beginning, but those gems revealed themselves on repeated hearings; however, my all-time favourite Handel oratorio is still THEODORA. Though I can't find fault with its performative and sonic qualities, this classic recording has to lose a star on account of Gardiner's fatal decision to eliminate five arias: in the accompanying booklet, JEG defends sanctioning the cuts, arguing (unconvincingly for me) that they were composed for specific singers (aren't many of those singer requests masterpieces?), and that they hold up the action (if this were the case, ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 5
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Handel: Largo - Famous Arias and Choruses

Search: Praise The Lord
by: Various Artists

Release Date April 16, 2001
Reviewing a PG Rosette recording in detail after more than two decades would be superfluous. This being my first SOLOMON, I confess that I didn't find much of the score entirely memorable at the beginning, but those gems revealed themselves on repeated hearings; however, my all-time favourite Handel oratorio is still THEODORA. Though I can't find fault with its performative and sonic qualities, this classic recording has to lose a star on account of Gardiner's fatal decision to eliminate five arias: in the accompanying booklet, JEG defends sanctioning the cuts, arguing (unconvincingly for me) that they were composed for specific singers (aren't many of those singer requests masterpieces?), and that they hold up the action (if this were the case, ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 6
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Handel: Solomon

Search: Praise The Lord
from: Philips

Release Date October 11, 2004
Reviewing a PG Rosette recording in detail after more than two decades would be superfluous. This being my first SOLOMON, I confess that I didn't find much of the score entirely memorable at the beginning, but those gems revealed themselves on repeated hearings; however, my all-time favourite Handel oratorio is still THEODORA. Though I can't find fault with its performative and sonic qualities, this classic recording has to lose a star on account of Gardiner's fatal decision to eliminate five arias: in the accompanying booklet, JEG defends sanctioning the cuts, arguing (unconvincingly for me) that they were composed for specific singers (aren't many of those singer requests masterpieces?), and that they hold up the action (if this were the case, ... Read More: