Description

Handel’s complete sonatas with harpsichord and cello accompaniment by Trio Settecento.

Track Listing

http://media.rachelbartonpine.com/audio/02/RachelBartonPine_Handel_Sonata_in_A_Major_HWV361_excerpt.mp3
Sonata in A Major, HWV361

http://media.rachelbartonpine.com/audio/02/RachelBartonPine_Handel_Sonata_in_D_Minor_HWV359a_excerpt.mp3
Sonata in D Minor, HWV 359a

http://media.rachelbartonpine.com/audio/02/RachelBartonPine_Handel_Sonata_in_F_Major_HWV370_excerpt.mp3
Sonata in F Major, HWV370

http://media.rachelbartonpine.com/audio/02/RachelBartonPine_Handel_Sonata_in_G_Major_HWV358_excerpt.mp3
Sonata in G Major, HWV358

http://media.rachelbartonpine.com/audio/02/RachelBartonPine_Handel_Sonata_in_G_Minor_HWV364a_excerpt.mp3
Sonata in G Minor, HWV364a

http://media.rachelbartonpine.com/audio/02/RachelBartonPine_Handel_Allegro_in_C_Minor_HWV408_excerpt.mp3
Allegro in C Minor, HWV408

http://media.rachelbartonpine.com/audio/02/RachelBartonPine_Handel_Sonata_in_A_Major_HWV372_excerpt.mp3
Sonata in A Major, HWV372

http://media.rachelbartonpine.com/audio/02/RachelBartonPine_Handel_Andante_in_A_Minor_HWV412_excerpt.mp3
Andante in A Minor, HWV412

http://media.rachelbartonpine.com/audio/02/RachelBartonPine_Handel_Sonata_in_G_Minor_HWV368_excerpt.mp3
Sonata in G Minor, HWV368

http://media.rachelbartonpine.com/audio/02/RachelBartonPine_Handel_Sonata_in_D_Major_HWV371_excerpt.mp3
Sonata in D Major, HWV371

About

Handel’s complete sonatas with harpsichord and cello accompaniment by Trio Settecento

Press

“Rachel Barton’s wonderfully vital Handel performances bring us some of the most refreshing, life-enhancing Baroque playing heard in years.”
Chicago Tribune

“A stunning recording.”
Indy Star

“Violinist Rachel Barton triumphs in her first release for the Cedille label… Indeed, Rachel Barton’s wonderfully vital Handel performances bring us some of the most refreshing, life-enhancing Baroque playing heard in years.”
Chicago Tribune

“The exuberance of Barton’s ornamentation, the naturalness of her lyricism in these consummately melodic Sonatas, and her technical command in general (and of nuanced and fleet bowings and clean intonation in particular) are complemented by the skill and energy of the continuo support, which never diverts attention from the soloist’s starring role… Recommended. Period.”
Fantare

“[Rachel Barton] is one of the rare mainstream performers with a total grasp of Baroque style and embellishment, and the whole disc is a delight… The exhilarating bravura of her incisive articulation and sharply pointed rhythms is matched by Barton’s singing line in her poised and elegant lyrical movements. Superb continuo players David Schrader and John Mark Rozendaal contribute to the real sense of ensemble teamwork.”
Fanfare

“Few non-specialists have gotten inside this procedure [of ornamentation] as convincingly as violinist Rachel Barton. Her playing is splendid on all levels – lovely tone, wonderfully expressive phrasing, secure technique, and strong involvement with the music. But the most unusual aspect of Barton’s Handel is the convincing and imaginative way she embellishes the repeats in the music – adding runs, ornaments, and flourishes that give a different aspect to a phrase we’ve just recently heard… They help to enliven a cherishable disc.”
Classical Pulse

“A spritely partnership between violin and cello, with deft rhythmic accompaniment on harpsichord… The music’s virtuosic character is rendered with superb, resonant double and triple stopping and de-emphasized dance motion in the allegros. Barton lets the music’s raw, improvised feeling hang out a little, giving the recording a refreshing zest.”
Classical Net

“[Rachel Barton] uses a baroque bow with her modernized 17th-Century violin, making a wonderfully warm yet still focused sound, and her passage work is brilliant yet lyrical – much like the cascades of a coloratura – and her ornamentation is both thoughtful and virtuosic. This is a wonderful recording.”
American Record Guide

“With two excellent partners, Rachel Barton has given us an edition of Handel’s Violin Sonatas that is one of the more gratifying recordings of Baroque violin music in the current catalogs.”
Editorial Review – Amazon.com

Fan Comments

This recording is pure indulgence. Barton plays with a confident, modern tone (standard pitch too), but uses ornaments and articulation typical of period performance. The lush interplay of the instruments creates an experience that I can only compare to the feeling of eating some heavenly desert. First there is the rich, solid (but never heavy) base of cello, the sweet ambrosial filling of Barton’s violin, and a crispy crust added by the harpsichord, giving texture and structure to the whole pie. Perhaps this analogy is a bit far-fetched for a review like this (in fairness though, this is the first time I’ve even thought of comparing a recording to food), but listening to the first few moments of the A major or D major sonatas alone manages to make traditional categories of description seem inadequate to me. I heartily recommend this recording. – C. Dyer (Amazon.com customer)

This is a truly marvelous recording. The slow movements are played beautifully, with delicate and emotive ornamentation, while the fast ones are exciting and, well, fast. The cello sound in the continuo is also rich, with just the right character. – cadgenottosh (Amazon.com customer)

Only Rachel Barton could play at such a level, it is earth shattering. – HannibalLector (I-Tunes customer)