Handel does Handel
It’s always fun pinning down one of those moments when Handel (or Rossini) rehashes some of his own music. The other day I saw Handel’s Organ Concertos and thought hm, why not? As soon as it started I recognised the first bit as the unnamed organ piece I had endlessly played as a teenager, taped off the radio. But later on something else emerged. Do you remember that bit at the beginning of Alcina where Alcina and Ruggiero are being entertained with ballet? You might not, as it’s sometimes skipped (but not by Hickox in the early ’90s, Minkowski on the Vienna DVD or Sardelli in Moscow). Check it out (ffwd to min 35:01, for some reason it’s stuck around min 32):
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Posted on September 2, 2015, in baroque and tagged alcina, henadel, organ concertos. Bookmark the permalink. 34 Comments.
opera, innit? 
i love that ballet music!! and all its mood + rhythm changes in such a short time. it seems he used it everywhere too, i heard the boston baroque ensemble playing a händel’s minuet and instantly recognized the “scene” 😉 (which was criminally skipped in the Aix version , the music, not the acting please)
aha, good to know it’s been in other places! I remember hearing one of his cantatas and recognising something from operas in there as well.
we all agree it’s a lovely bit of music 😉 When I went checking I was surprised at how many versions skip it. I can see their point but still, it’s much fun.
being a Händel “virgin” in Wien, this was the most pleasant with associated ❤ ❤ visual sequence that i will forever have in head. was quite surprised to find out they skip it often!
I had a feeling you would know exactly which scene I was talking about 😉
3 times live
(wish i can put this here, esp. the blinking bit)
that smilie about sums up what I remember from reading your posts on that 😉 I bet you thought, damn, should’ve gone to a couple more shows.
you know, the funny thing is i was sooo new to that whole thing, i thought it was the norm! only now many years later i realized how amazing it was 😉
sometimes I wonder if starting with something great is a blessing or a curse. Spoils you for life!
always a blessing to experience regardless of time/place/occasion/walk-of-life 😉 . it does help to set off obsession (more blinking please)
sane obsessions are nice! btw, that Alice Coote thing is set back one hour…
oh, that’s why? i thought my conversion was ok.. 21-4=17.. right on time i thought.. though my 20000 blocking methods caused missing 1/4 of Sta nell ircana…
they’ll probably keep it for a while. We hope! Yes, of course the conversation 😉 I meant I’ve been on Radio 3 listening to random stuff.
what is she singing? in german?
no idea what that aria was! I was busy cutting veggies, I thought she was saying something about clubs… Nice return to Scherza (internet fail halfway through the last one).
sob, this music gets me every time, even from the recit.. you infidele woman…
awww. I love Coote’s rendition of this, it was the first that made me pay attention.
oh, i was expect “dopo notte” after that ballet!
hope she closes with it 😀
messiah, even better! (ref to dopo notte was from history of listening to S.Connolly’s recital..)
ah, I see. I loved the program so far. But then = Handel.
though that messiah is reallllly slow though.. and now, i’m having C.Bartoli in head on bed with the mirror 😀
the change of pace was good! I’m going to have this one stuck in my head for days.
which one? the “i super adore my lovely self” or this slow one? it sounds familiar..
i super adore myself 😉 this one started very much like scherza.
ah ha! here it is, a night cap! this one is quite lovely, less bravura, i quite like it, paints a self-internal-happy Ariodante
yes, it’s awesome and I agree, Ariodante is not a typical bravura chap. I was chopping onion to the rhythm and air conducting with the kiwi knife 😀
wow, that’s a very long chopping session! didn’t it start from Sta nell ircana?
braaaaavaaaa. I love her 2nd “A”. It’s so nice to hear differences that actually has meaning rather that just for decoration.
I see now, fast, slow, fast, slow.. is the rhythm (watch them (chopping) fingers 😉 )
lovely, simply lovely! yes, I started a while ago but I’m cooking two different things.
for those not having enough yet of this paring.. (thought i stayed on bbc3 but that music is way disruptive for writing)
oh, nice, I think I will leave bbc 3 for that. Though the song from inside the pyramid was really great.
ah, now i recognized the violinist playing solo around min30-45, she was here at BEFM but didn’t play solo.. and earworm was saying she was hoping to see her (violinist) playing instead of the youngsters…
you mean the one at the back? I just got to 30:45.
at the back? she’s the only one playing solo for a long time until min 45 and got an ovation (may be starts a bit after 30, like 5 min after, or 10.. i approaching expiring for the day..)
ah, ok! hope you didn’t expire 😉