Handel's German arias combine an articulate Italianate musical style with German contemplative rhetorical inquiry, mostly in operatic da capo form.
Composer's Artistic Vision
The poet Barthold Heinrich Brockes, whose texts Handel set, argued in his poems that God's abundant goodness is evident in the joy and beauty of His creation.
Composer Biography
George Frideric Handel, a Saxon-born composer, wrote few compositions with sung texts in his native German tongue.
Instruments
Handel's oboe sonatas are often of doubtful authenticity or assigned to the wrong solo instrument due to faulty early editions published without his involvement.
Performer Biography
Carolyn Sampson, a leading British soprano, has recorded over fifteen discs with The King's Consort for Hyperion, including acclaimed Mozart and Handel albums.
Recording & Production
This recording was made at The Menuhin Hall in Stoke d'Abernon, Surrey, in October 2006, using a temperament of Vallotti and a pitch of A=415Hz.
Composition History
Handel's German arias were composed in three batches between 1724 and 1726, and were likely intended for performance in Hamburg.
