Ripe For Reissue: Decca's Handel Great Oratorios Box 

Thanks, Dave, for reviewing this wonderful box. Too bad it's long out of print. Being an avid Handelian, I am familiar with all of these recordings and can only second your praise of them. There was another Decca box, released around the same time, entitled "Handel: The Masterworks." Its purpose was to give the prospective listener a broad and amazingly comprehensive survey of Handel's achievement as a composer. All of the important instrumental music was included (Water and Fire music, Organ Concertos, Concerti Grossi), plus a fair proportion of the rarely heard chamber music. Marriner and the Academy did the honors for most of these. Then a half dozen of the most famous oratorios plus most of the familiar odes and anthems. Pinnock, McCreesh, Mackerras, Gardiner and Hogwood do the honors with that repertoire. Finally, Julius Ceasar stand in for the operas. This may be still available as used copies from Amazon. I recommend it enthusiastically. There are also several Handel Editions on Brilliant, the latest of which contains a critical mass of oratorios, odes, instrumental, chamber and keyboard music. A very comprehensive edition indeed. Many of the oratorios are earlier recordings with operatic singers and modern instruments, such as Somary's superb Judas Maccabaeus, Semele, Solomon, Theodora and Jephtha. Not exactly HIP, but pioneering recordings nonetheless. So much to enjoy!

Along with Harmonia Mundi’s extraordinary Opera Batoque box, this has to be my favourite vocal work box.

I have it and I love it. And I believe I can answer your question, as to why it went out of print. Obviously it is delibarate. It is simply too good!

I found Liszt theough Tom and Jerry also, as well as all the Bugs Bunny bits (I'm partial to Long Haired Hare at the Hollywood Bowl - "Leopold! Leopold! Leopold!"), as well as Fantasia and Stanley Kubrick. I need to make a point of listening to more of him.

It has just arrived from a discogs seller. Brand new, factory sealed. Mr. Hurwitz is bankrupting me.

O ruddier than the cherry, O sweeter than the berry. Oh boy!

Many thanks, Dave. That box would be a wonderful opportunity to get all major Handel's oratorios, very well interpreted. Handel's oratorios are an endless source of joy. When do you intend to do justice to Vivaldi, the other giant of the baroque era, with videos covering the diversity of his works : operas, oratorio (only one surviving), sacred music, cantatas, serenatas, violin, cello, bassoon, molti strumenti concertos etc... ?

There are a couple of these on EBAY for just under $300