This version of
Handel's Dixit Dominus, HWV 232, rounded out with the Nisi Dominus, HWV 238, and the Salve Regina, HWV 241, was made in 1988 and reigned as the state-of-the-art version for many years, with elegantly unobtrusive Deutsche Grammophon sound engineering in the old style. Finally it was outclassed by punchier versions by
John Eliot Gardiner and the superb Swiss historical-performance specialist
Diego Fasolis -- the
Choir and
Orchestra of Westminster Abbey are smooth enough but don't find the live-wire quality that more recent performances have brought. Nevertheless, this reissue in DG/Archiv's new "al fresco" line merits consideration despite annoying packaging (what does Matisse have to do with
Handel?) and extremely annoying presentation -- to get the booklet notes, you have to go to DG's website, navigate several confusing pages, enter a password (wouldn't want anyone actually reading about the recording without buying it, eh?), and download and open a .pdf file. The good news is that the Dixit Dominus was a youthful work in the best sense of the word, an effort by a hotshot new composer to push singers to their limits -- and the cast of soloists is top-notch. Best of all is soprano
Arleen Augér, who within a few years of making this recording would die of a massive brain tumor. Her interactions with contralto
Diana Montague in "De torrente in via bibet" from the Dixit Dominus, a treacherous piece that requires both singers to embody angelic calm while leaping around at the top of their ranges, are superb. This disc has been out of print for some years, and
Augér fans will snap it up. Sample newer versions of the Dixit Dominus, however, if you are specifically looking for a recording of that work.