Handel's English oratorios gained popularity in his native Germany early in their history, and there is a centuries-old performing tradition of these works in German translation. From the 1960s to the 1990s Berlin Classics captured a number of German performances of these works, the quality of which vary from pedestrian to stirring. This version of L'Allegro, il Penseroso, ed il Moderato is among its weaker efforts. It must be admitted that it's a problematic work to pull off; unlike Handel's oratorios with a straightforward narrative, such as Semele and Judas Maccabeus, or with a specific theological focus, like Messiah, L'Allegro, based mostly on the poetry of Milton, is an abstract consideration of three human temperaments, the active, the contemplative, and the moderate. Conductor
Rolf Reuter doesn't have a strong strategy for creating a coherent musical vision for the piece, so while there are moments, particularly choral, that are effective, they don't add up to a very compelling whole.
Rundfunkchor Berlin sings with commitment and energy, and Orchester der Komischen Oper Berlin plays with awareness of appropriate period performance practice and the instrumental obbligatos are beautifully executed. The vocal soloists on the whole, except for soprano Venceslava Hruba-Freiberger, are not strong, and the countertenor, tenor, and bass are particularly weak. Since this is a piece where the amount of solo writing far outweighs the choral, there's little to recommend this version, especially since there are superior performances in English.