ARC: Glass, Handel (2018)

performed by Anthony Roth Costanzo (counter tenor), Les Violons du Roy, Jonathan Cohen (conductor)
composed by George Frederick Handel, Philip Glass

When minimalist styles first came on the scene, they drew comparisons to Baroque music. The comparisons weren't very informative, and they relied on a fundamentally restrictive view of the Baroque, so eventually you stopped hearing them. American countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo attempts to revive the idea of a connection with this release of music by Handel and Glass, and his approach is a bit more subtle. "I realized that both use repetition in their own ways, and the distinct rituals they create produce emotion," he ... Read More

When minimalist styles first came on the scene, they drew comparisons to Baroque music. The comparisons weren't very informative, and they relied on a fundamentally restrictive view of the Baroque, so eventually you stopped hearing them. American countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo attempts to revive the idea of a connection with this release of music by Handel and Glass, and his approach is a bit more subtle. "I realized that both use repetition in their own ways, and the distinct rituals they create produce emotion," he writes. He's chosen his material well, and the program hangs together, although one wonders whether a few English-language arias from Handel might have strengthened it (all the Handel arias are in Italian). The Handel pieces, all quite famous and all sung in a restrained way (sample Lascia ch'io pianga), are so economical that they do seem to have a kinship with Glass. But it's also true that Costanzo brings out a Baroque aspect in Glass: his Glass selections come from later in Glass'... Read Less