Handel’s La Resurrezione on Afternoon on 3

[doversoul1]

Great Choral Works Episode 4 of 5

Thursday 18th
14.00
Mary Magdalene ..... Sophie Karthäuser (soprano)
Angel ..... Sunhae Im (soprano)
St Mary Cleophas ..... Sonia Prina (contralto)
St John the Evangelist ..... Jeremy Ovenden (tenor)
Lucifer ..... Johannes Weisser (baritone)
Le Cercle de l'Harmonie
René Jacobs (conductor)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04h7tvs

I wouldn’t call this a great choral work but never mind. It is a great work and this should be good.

[MickyD]

I would certainly call it a great choral work, ds! Especially considering how early it was written. I remember so well hearing the first modern performance of it back in the early 80s when Christopher Hogwood did it live on R3 then went on to make that superb L'Oiseau Lyre recording.

[Miles Coverdale]

I would certainly call it a great choral work, ds!

I suspect the point was that it's not principally a choral work, as the choir's involvment is limited to a chorus at the end of each of the two parts, and the soloists have most of the limelight. But it is certainly a very fine piece.

[doversoul1]

I suspect the point was that it's not principally a choral work, as the choir's involvment is limited to a chorus at the end of each of the two parts, and the soloists have most of the limelight. But it is certainly a very fine piece.

Thank you. Yes, that was what I meant: not a choral work.

[MickyD]

I stand corrected! It's good that there have been numerous recordings of it since the Hogwood version...it certainly merits them.

[doversoul1]

There may be numerous recordings and many very good ones now, but I think there is something extraordinary about the Hogwood’s recording, When I hear it, I could easily be convinced that the part of Angel was written for Emma Kirkby.

[MickyD]

You are spot on there, ds, I couldn't agree more! But I would still like to hear the Minkowski and I think Koopman made a recording some time ago, too.