Awards for Matthew Halls
Matthew Halls' recording of Handel's Parnasso in Festa for Hyperion has been awarded the 2009 Stanley Sadie Handel Recording Prize. The prize, awarded annually to 'a distinctive new recording of Handel's music', will be officially presented at the opening concert of Retrospect Ensemble's Wigmore Hall 2009/10 season on 21 October.
“Several of our judges praised that Matthew Halls has done a splendid job in using serious research to inform a delightful performance… In particular, the performance has plenty of expertly judged contrast between excitement, tenderness and pathos, with a remarkable variety of colours and sonorities in the orchestral and choral contributions.... This captivating performance of Parnasso in Festa shows us an important new aspect of Handel’s vast output. We hope that its success encourages Matthew Halls and his musicians – now working under the new name of the Retrospect Ensemble – to continue exploring baroque vocal music.”
To hear excerpts of the recording, please click here
