ArtistInfo

Georg Friedrich Händel, Russell Oberlin
Handel Arias

Album US 1959 on Decca label
Classical (Baroque)

Russell Oberlin - Handel Arias Five decades ago, when Alfred Deller was trailblazing for the countertenor voice in Britain, Russell Oberlin was doing the same thing in America. Oberlin doesn't sound anything like what we expect from a countertenor. Rather than a velvety alto, his is actually a piercingly sweet tenor timbre, but generally "sitting" at least a fourth higher than the typical lyric tenor. He gets a little reedy at the very top, but he has fine flexibility (listen to the coloratura in "Vivi tiranno" from Rodelinda, sung in rather too "polite" Italian), and he caresses legato passages with expert control (in, for example, an exquisite "Thou shalt bring them in" from Israel in Egypt). Stylistically we've come a long way since Oberlin; there are some scooped attacks and swoopy phrasing, while ornamentation is often musically awkward and, in one instance, downright outrageous (the cadenza concluding Radamisto's "Ombra cara"). Also, although he's a fervent interpreter, genuine dramatic fire isn't Oberlin's to give. Still, the singing here – particularly the more plaintive arias – gives considerable pleasure. The orchestral accompaniment is very much of its time, grand-toned and stodgy. Fine sound, but no texts and only a brief program note.

Musicians

	Georg Friedrich Händel , 1685-1759 GB album by
	Russell Oberlin voc, *1928 US album by
	Thomas Dunn , 1925-2008 US conductor
	Albert Fuller hps, harpsichord

Composers

ArtistInfo App

Acknowledgements

ArtistInfo for Mac, iPad, and iPhone