The six trio sonatas of Handel's Op 2 are not a homogenous set. The works, first published around 1730, were mostly written around 1718, but the earliest – placed second – survives in a copy owned by Charles Jennens, librettist of Messiah, which is annotated "Compos'd at the Age of 14". That would date it to 1699, and it certainly sounds more of the 17th century than the 18th. One of the other fascinations of these sonatas is the amount of material shared with other works, some filched, some later reused. The Brook Street Band's performances have a well-blended, soft-textured finish and, rhythmically, an easy grace. url.ie/e8oo