Handel: Complete Violin Sonatas

Much like J.S. Bach, Handel was a keyboardist first and foremost, but also very handy with the violin. Having a background in strings was clearly enough to help him craft some of the most naturally charming (and often witty) violin sonatas of the Baroque era. There’s a vocal melodic fluency to this music, too, born of his experience as an opera composer. Here, we get to enjoy all of Handel’s violin sonatas plus some miscellaneous single movements. It’s hard to imagine them played with more dedication—you can feel the energy flying between violinist Bojan Čičić and his sparring partner, harpsichordist Steven Devine. For a taste of the straightforward, ebullient Handel, the Sonata in G Major, HWV 358 is a constant delight. The more mature D Major Sonata HWV 371 that begins this album, one of Handel’s last works completed nine years or so before his death, is the most celebrated of them all. Its second and fourth movements are Handel at his rollicking best, while its slow movements are simply ravishing.