Handel: Trio Sonatas, Op. 2 (2003)

George Frideric Handel's Trio Sonatas, Op. 2, were between 10 and 30 years old when they first appeared in a bootleg edition under the imprint of Estienne Roger around 1730. Nonetheless, these sonatas, the second of which was written in Handel's 17th year and the rest created during his tenure with the Earl of Carnarvon in 1717 and 1718, were still innovative when Roger (really, John Walsh under a disguise) rolled them out minus the composer's approval. That they proved enormously popular right off the bat is due to these ... Read More

George Frideric Handel's Trio Sonatas, Op. 2, were between 10 and 30 years old when they first appeared in a bootleg edition under the imprint of Estienne Roger around 1730. Nonetheless, these sonatas, the second of which was written in Handel's 17th year and the rest created during his tenure with the Earl of Carnarvon in 1717 and 1718, were still innovative when Roger (really, John Walsh under a disguise) rolled them out minus the composer's approval. That they proved enormously popular right off the bat is due to these sonatas' seriousness of purpose, relative lack of frilly ornaments, and a freedom from the tendency toward "Liebhaber" (i.e., amateur) settings so common in printed trio sonatas of the early eighteenth century. The six sonatas in Handel's Op. 2 are obviously meant for skilled players and traverse a surprising range of expressive territory, experienced to the fullest in Sonnerie's Avie recording Handel: Trio Sonatas, Op. 2.Monica Huggett and Sonnerie have chosen wisely in recording... Read Less