#at any one time I am singing all of these vocal counterpoints lmao | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

mightymizora · 8 months

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Handel Dixit Dominus HWV 232 Lionel Meunier Vox Luminis

Hey tumblr, apropos of nothing, have my favourite performance of my favourite piece of music of all time. The one that almost had me believing in God. They use the correct instruments and vocals for this version and it is subliiiime. Sometimes they have separate vocalists for the solos but no, this should be a vocal endurance course. I once sang the second soprano in my early twenties and I was sweating by the end.

Handel was 21 when he composed this. And to me it is perfect. If you want some really powerful music and have some good headphones, let yourself get lost in this. I promise you, it’s worth your time. It’s my number-one writing music.

Highlights for me that get my brain crackling every time:

The first sustained soprano note in the first movement Dixit Dominus

In this performance, the countertenor’s heavenly tone in Virgam Virtutis Tuae. His ornaments are incredible

The lovely counterpoint moments in Dominus a dextris tuis and then the baritone just coming in third like hold me beer. This baritone also has an incredible beard I love him. Then everybody comes in and it is just like a waterfall of perfection

The quality of the pianissimos in Judicabit in nationibus

All of Conquassabit, those staccatos are KILLER on your diaphragm but so satisfying to listen to and they ROCKET through them in this recording, I am in AWE

De Torrente is one of my favourite duets of all time, possibly my favourite piece of music ever? The tonal clashes he plays with are so ahead of their time, it gets me literally every time I listen. I do think, in my only critique of this recording, they take it a bit faster than I like, but it’s still stunning. Their vocal quality is perfection.

Gloria Patri et Filio et Spiritui Sancto, the finale. It’s so satisfying. The motif just dances around the chorus with all these little interpolations, then through the viols, then you get these long sustained notes in the baritone and it just floods through the music. Aaaah. And THEN. The huge punches of sound from the tenor and sopranos! AND THEN. Et in saecula saeculorum amen starts getting chucked about and that’s when I think, performing it, I saw stars.

#george frideric handel #handel #music recs #at any one time I am singing all of these vocal counterpoints lmao

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