BaL 22.06.19 - Handel: Israel in Egypt

[Felix the Gnat]

Hi there i’m trying to find out if anyone knows how to get an online Libretto for this work? and maybe others.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Hi there i’m trying to find out if anyone knows how to get an online Libretto for this work? and maybe others.

http://opera.stanford.edu/iu/libretti/israel.htm

- and welcome to the Forum, Felix.

[Felix the Gnat]

http://opera.stanford.edu/iu/libretti/israel.htm

- and welcome to the Forum, Felix.

Thanks and thanks. plenty of others there too

[Barbirollians]

.



... this recording is of the 1833 Mendelssohn version, and for that reason interesting :

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01AGKA3BO

.

Not for anyone who objects to buying anything conducted by a convicted sex offender.

[BBMmk2]

I have the one with Michael Chance et al and Gardiner.

[Mal]

Not really my thing, but I picked up Handel's Solomon for £1 in a charity shop a few months ago (Gardiner, Penguin rosette...), must give it a listen this week to see if I can get into this BAL... Penguin says Gardiner's Solomon is one of "the very finest of all Handel Oratorio recordings". Do you concur?

[Pulcinella]

Not really my thing, but I picked up Handel's Solomon for £1 in a charity shop a few months ago (Gardiner, Penguin rosette...), must give it a listen this week to see if I can get into this BAL... Penguin says Gardiner's Solomon is one of "the very finest of all Handel Oratorio recordings". Do you concur?

Yes!
It's the one on my shelves, so it must be good.


You should cross-post on the Charity shop bargains thread, Mal, and make everyone jealous. A real find at only £1.

[MickyD]

The later version by Daniel Reuss has an equally impressive cast, but like the Gardiner, cuts have been made to get the work on to 2 CDs. The most complete is McCreesh, but it is not on the level of the other two.

[vinteuil]

The later version by Daniel Reuss has an equally impressive cast, but like the Gardiner, cuts have been made to get the work on to 2 CDs. The most complete is McCreesh, but it is not on the level of the other two.

... I didn't know McCreesh or Reuss had done Israel in Egypt. I know of their Solomons...

Oops, I see the conversation has moved on to Solomon...




[ ... retires.]






.

[MickyD]

Surprise, surprise...another twofer!

[Pulcinella]

Surprise, surprise...another twofer!

Indeed, and the guest on The AMcG Show this morning doesn't sound altogether too comfortable: a fair few pauses and stumbles (but maybe who can blame her?).

PS: Not heard anything yet to displace the Preston version I have!

[Master Jacques]

Yes, clearly she doesn't want to be there - but what a nice, polite lady. Nothing much pertinent to say about these recordings, but smiling and unfailingly deferential to AMcG. Possibly the most somnolent BaL ever, on a work which is anything but that.

I just hope she won't get eaten up by frogs on her way home to Oxford, poor thing.

[Mal]

Starts with JEG's 1979 ("early for him... non period") overture. Sounded a bit dour to me, certainly compared to his later overture for Solomon. Goodman also sounding a bit dour in the first choral extract, lamentation for Joseph, which Handel cut after first performance, and so did JEG! Any Queen of Sheba moments in this operetta?

Then we get the four soloists performing for Parrott, in a "beautiful recording". Indeed! More like it, please...

There's a lot of narration, so "we need a good narrator" (or a highlights disk ...)

JEG 1979 sounding dour, Parrott in the same piece sounding lively and exciting. Woke me up! Then JEG 1990 sounding beautiful in a slow part.

"The Sixteen" Christophers next: "soloists not as polished as JEG 90, and not as powerful". Sounding good though!

Our expert comes out with a strong preference for Andrew Parrott's choir (Taverner choir) and plays some more extracts to demonstrate her good ear! She also quite likes Cleobury's singers (choir of King's College Cambridge", and I also quite enjoy them... light and dancing, no dour stodge... "excitement [but], rough edges, intonation trouble... can't compete with professional choirs." A good summation methinks... but excitement goes a long way!

Djikstra has a professional choir but "too operatic,... too ponderous... intonation problems..." Yup, the extract shows all these faults! Some other foreigners are panned for not singing in understandable English. Brexit rules here :).

Goodman "maintains good tone and colour". Sorry, but his singers (Netherlands chamber choir) still sound a bit dour to me.

Suzanne Gritton in 'stirring form' for Cleobury 'almost worth it for that' says AMcG, and she does sound very beautiful!

Only HIPP performances are thought worth considering (I agree, on this evidence...!)

Goodman's soloists & orchestra giving Parrott a run for his money in what's now a two horse race. She plumps for Parrott, especially for the choir, and immediacy of the sound. Sounded like a good choice to me.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Parrott is always an excellent choice.

[LeMartinPecheur]

Starts with JEG's 1979 ("early for him... non period") overture. Sounded a bit dour to me, certainly compared to his later overture for Solomon. Goodman also sounding a bit dour in the first choral extract, lamentation for Joseph, which Handel cut after first performance, and so did JEG!

To be fair to JEG, his early Erato recording also contained the Funeral Anthem for Queen Caroline, which according to the reviewer Handel recycled with minimal changes as Part I of the original Israel in Egypt, before he decided it was simply too long, cutting Part I, the Israelites' Lament for Joseph to leave the 'standard' Novello-score 2-parter.

What I'm still not clear about is whether the Queen Caroline 'anthem', 40 minutes' worth, requires two bass soloists, thus explaining their later employment just for the duet 'The Lord is a man of war', neither bass apparently doing another stroke in the original Parts 2 and 3.