Monday 2 June 2003

Off to Bath on Saturday morning. Found -- at long last -- a butcher who sells veal chops! Had a big veal weekend. Also bought the new Emmanuelle Haïm recording of Handel's Aci, Galatea e Polifemo. Wonderful trio of vocalists -- Sandrine Piau, Sara Mingardo and Laurent Naouri -- and quite wonderful music. The whole thing played with plenty of spirit and colour. Baroque performances have moved on from the 1980s. The singers sound more at ease, the instrumentalists less amateur. Sara Mingardo, in particular, really shines in the new issue. Strange how English groups and singers appear to have faded somewhat in the baroque repertoire, after their pioneering efforts in the 1980s. Now it's Emmanuelle Haïm, Marc Minkowski, Philippe Herreweghe and René Jacobs. Baroque headquarters is now France and Belgium, with the Italians making headway.
So pleased with Aci that I restarted on Jacobs' Rinaldo. Decided I am not too keen on Vivica Genaux's voice (Rinaldo).