Emmanuelle Haïm, Le Concert d'Astrée - Handel: Dixit Dominus / Bach: Magnificat (2007) CD-Rip

What a wonderful contrast! Handel’s Dixit Dominus and Bach’s Magnificat represent the two oft-compared composers at Dixit . He had already written two Italian operas, and his career path clearly pointed in that direction. The Dixit is as extravagant as Bach’s Magnificat is controlled. The two pieces are such a good fit that one wonders why they haven’t turned up together more frequently, if, in fact, they have at all.
Good ideas do not always yield good results, but, happily, this one does. Haîm leads splendid performances that abound in energy and excitement. Haîm’s solo quintet (two sopranos in the Magnificat) is splendid, and the midsized (6-5-6-6-6), mixed chorus fully capable of meeting the challenges posed not only by the composers but also by the director. Handel’s Gloria Patri, the finale of the Dixit , brings the whole disc to a triumphant close with a breath-taking burst of corporate virtuosity. Virgin’s engineers round off a most satisfying effort.