Handel: Concerti Grossi, Op. 3 (Remastered) The Academy of St Martin in the Fields & Sir Neville Marriner

• George Frideric Handel (1685 - 1759): Concerto grosso No. 1 in B-Flat Major, Op. 3/1, HWV 312:
• 1Handel: Concerto grosso No. 1 in B-Flat Major, Op. 3/1, HWV 312: I. Allegro02:39
• 2Handel: Concerto grosso No. 1 in B-Flat Major, Op. 3/1, HWV 312: II. Largo05:08
• 3Handel: Concerto grosso No. 1 in B-Flat Major, Op. 3/1, HWV 312: III. Allegro01:30
• Concerto grosso No. 2 in B-Flat Major, Op. 3/2, HWV 313:
• 4Handel: Concerto grosso No. 2 in B-Flat Major, Op. 3/2, HWV 313: I. Vivace – Grave02:05
• 5Handel: Concerto grosso No. 2 in B-Flat Major, Op. 3/2, HWV 313: II. Largo03:17
• 6Handel: Concerto grosso No. 2 in B-Flat Major, Op. 3/2, HWV 313: III. Allegro01:57
• 7Handel: Concerto grosso No. 2 in B-Flat Major, Op. 3/2, HWV 313: IV. [Menuett]. Vivace02:19
• 8Handel: Concerto grosso No. 2 in B-Flat Major, Op. 3/2, HWV 313: V. [Gavotte]04:05
• Concerto grosso No. 3 in G Major, Op. 3/3, HWV 314:
• 9Handel: Concerto grosso No. 3 in G Major, Op. 3/3, HWV 314: I. Largo e staccato02:56
• 10Handel: Concerto grosso No. 3 in G Major, Op. 3/3, HWV 314: II. Adagio00:57
• 11Handel: Concerto grosso No. 3 in G Major, Op. 3/3, HWV 314: III. Allegro03:47
• Concerto grosso No. 4 in F Major, Op. 3/4, HWV 315:
• 12Handel: Concerto grosso No. 4 in F Major, Op. 3/4, HWV 315: I. Andante – Allegro – Lentamente04:36
• 13Handel: Concerto grosso No. 4 in F Major, Op. 3/4, HWV 315: II. Andante02:15
• 14Handel: Concerto grosso No. 4 in F Major, Op. 3/4, HWV 315: III. Allegro01:39
• 15Handel: Concerto grosso No. 4 in F Major, Op. 3/4, HWV 315: IV. Minuetto02:46
• Concerto grosso No. 5 in D Minor, Op. 3/5, HWV 316:
• 16Handel: Concerto grosso No. 5 in D Minor, Op. 3/5, HWV 316: I. Symphony. Larghetto01:55
• 17Handel: Concerto grosso No. 5 in D Minor, Op. 3/5, HWV 316: II. Fuga. Allegro02:19
• 18Handel: Concerto grosso No. 5 in D Minor, Op. 3/5, HWV 316: III. Adagio01:39
• 19Handel: Concerto grosso No. 5 in D Minor, Op. 3/5, HWV 316: IV. Allegro, ma non troppo01:47
• 20Handel: Concerto grosso No. 5 in D Minor, Op. 3/5, HWV 316: V. Allegro02:53
• Concerto grosso No. 6 in D Major, Op. 3/6, HWV 317:
• 21Handel: Concerto grosso No. 6 in D Major, Op. 3/6, HWV 317: I. Vivace02:57
• 22Handel: Concerto grosso No. 6 in D Major, Op. 3/6, HWV 317: II. Allegro03:34
• Total Runtime59:00

Info for Handel: Concerti Grossi, Op. 3 (Remastered)

Die Academy of St Martin in the Fields wurde 1959 von Sir Neville Marriner und einer Gruppe führender Londoner Orchestermusiker gegründet. Ursprünglich als kleine Streichergruppe ohne Dirigent gegründet, stand sie an der Spitze des Barockrevivals der 1950er Jahre.

Seit diesen Anfängen hat sich die Akademie vergrößert und viel experimentiert und teilt heute ihre Zeit gleichmäßig zwischen internationalen Tourneen, Konzerten im Vereinigten Königreich und Sessions im Aufnahmestudio auf.

Sir Neville Marriner ist weiterhin künstlerischer und musikalischer Leiter des Orchesters und Dirigent des Sinfonieorchesters. Iona Brown und Kenneth Sillito sind die künstlerischen Leiter des Kammerorchesters, und Kenneth Sillito leitet auch das Academy of St Martin in the Fields Chamber Ensemble. Die Academy besucht regelmäßig die USA, Frankreich, Deutschland, die Schweiz, Skandinavien und Japan.

Das Londoner Publikum hat die Möglichkeit, die Akademie bei Konzerten im South Bank und Barbican Centre zu hören, und das Orchester tritt im gesamten Vereinigten Königreich in den wichtigsten Musikzentren auf.

Die Akademie verfügt über ein florierendes Bildungsprogramm, und die Musiker nehmen an einer Vielzahl von Bildungsprojekten mit Schulen und Gemeindegruppen in ganz Großbritannien teil. Die Projekte sind auf die jeweilige Gruppe zugeschnitten und bieten Menschen aller Altersgruppen und Fähigkeiten die Möglichkeit, mit vielen der besten Musiker des Landes zu arbeiten.

Da Großbritannien bei Projekten zur Musikerziehung führend ist, ist die Akademie nun auch an der Entwicklung von Projekten im Ausland beteiligt. Mit über 1.000 Veröffentlichungen, die von barocken und klassischen Meisterwerken bis hin zu den großen Werken der Romantik und des 20. Jahrhunderts reichen, ist die Akademie nach wie vor das meistaufgenommene Kammerorchester der Welt. Es hat viele begehrte internationale Preise gewonnen - darunter 8 Edisons, den kanadischen Grand Prix und eine Vielzahl goldener Schallplatten, allein 13 für den Soundtrack zu Milos Formans Film "Amadeus".

Im Gegensatz zu allen anderen großen britischen Orchestern erhält die Academy keine direkten staatlichen Zuschüsse und ist für ihren anhaltenden Erfolg allein auf ihre künstlerische Integrität und ihre kommerzielle Initiative angewiesen.

Im April 1993 wurde die Academy of St Martin in the Fields als erstes Orchester mit dem "Queen's Award for Export Achievement" ausgezeichnet.

Academy of St Martin in the Fields
Sir Neville Marriner, Dirigent

Digitally remastered

Sir Neville Marriner
Sir Neville Marriner & The Academy of St Martin-in-the-Fields (or “Marriner and the Academy” as they became affectionately known) led the way in the stereo recording of lighter, more transparent and, quite simply, better played performances of Baroque and, later, Classical repertoire. This happy combination of circumstances provided a whole generation of music lovers with recordings which to this day have stood the test of time. It is hard to imagine a record collection anywhere in the world unblessed by Marriner and his Academy.

Neville himself was the ideal recording artist, first leading from the violin, and later when the group enlarged, as conductor. He had himself “sprung up though the orchestra as one of the team” but remained always unpretentious and self-deprecating. But this was allied to a drive and passion that ensured standards were maintained at the highest level throughout, particularly in the recording studio. The result was that most professional orchestral musicians aspired to be in his orchestra.

Founded in 1958 from an elite group of London’s orchestral players, the very first recording sessions in the Conway Hall in 1961 were for Louise Dyer’s L’Oiseau-Lyre label. When she died the following year, Marriner and the Academy transferred over to Decca’s Argo imprint where many of the famous recordings of the LP era were made. Classics of the Baroque such as The Four Seasons with Alan Loveday were complemented by reference versions of Stravinsky ballets and Strauss’ Metamorphosen, or glowing discs of Delius and Vaughan Williams (a recent box set entitled The Argo Years celebrates many of these recordings) . In 1969, Erik Smith, a family friend and producer who had recently moved from Decca to Philips in the Netherlands, tempted Neville and the Academy to become Philips artists and their first recording, made on a cold January in an East London town hall was of J.C. Bach Symphonies. Over the next two decades recordings continued to flow from Philips, Argo as well as other labels – not least surveys of Haydn, Beethoven and Schubert symphonies – but one composer dominated above all as Neville and Erik delightedly planned a cornucopia of Mozart leading up to the first ever Complete Mozart Edition for the 1991 bicentenary. This included not only the complete Symphonies, Divertimenti and Serenades, but the Piano Concertos with Alfred Brendel, the mature operas and many rarely heard works. When the film Amadeus came out it was of course Neville & The Academy who provided the soundtrack.

Later projects for the label seemed tailor-made for the genial wit of Sir Neville – bubbly Rossini (including three complete operas) and, an idea which initially horrified Molly, Gilbert & Sullivan’s Yeoman of the Guard. Sir Neville was also the ideal accompanist of choice for countless soloists, including for the debut recording of Joshua Bell who would later succeed him at the helm of the Academy . Such was his fame, Neville received conducting invitations from all the around the world and several of these turned into notable recordings for both Decca and Philips. These included collaborations with the London Symphony and London Philharmonic, Philharmonia, Cleveland and Concertgebouw Orchestras, the Dresden Staatskapelle and three orchestras of which he was also Musical Director: the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, Minnesota Orchestra and Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra.

Until the very end of his life Neville, accompanied by the indefatigable and cheerful Molly, toured the world including China and Japan. All this showed a man who was simply beloved of orchestral musicians the world over. His passing will be universally mourned, but his enormous and remarkable recorded legacy will continue to inspire and delight.

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