Prom 50: Handel - Samson, AAM / Philharmonia Chorus, Cummings, Wed. 23 Aug. 2023

[bluestateprommer]

Wednesday 23 August 2023
19:00
Royal Albert Hall

Handel: Samson (complete oratorio)

Allan Clayton (Samson)
Jacquelyn Stucker (Dalila; Proms debut artist)
Joélle Harvey (Israelite Woman)
Jess Dandy (Micah)
Brindley Sherratt (Harapha)
Jonathan Lemalu (Manoa)

Philharmonia Chorus
Academy of Ancient Music
Laurence Cummings, harpsichord and director

https://www.bbc.co.uk/events/e3qhj5

https://www.royalalberthall.com/tickets/proms/bbc-proms-2023/prom-50-handels-samson/

[french frank]

Wednesday Aug 23rd, 19.00:

"Our ongoing cycle of Handel oratorios continues with Samson, featuring tenor Allan Clayton and soprano Jacquelyn Stucker.

"Inspired by Milton’s Samson Agonistes, Handel created a deeply moving version of the story of the mighty Israelite warrior, imprisoned and blinded by his enemies, but still determined to destroy them. The Israelites’ laments are brilliantly contrasted with the jangling joy of the Philistines, Samson’s lofty struggles with Dalila’s brittle affections. One of today’s leading Handelians, Laurence Cummings directs the Academy of Ancient Music from the harpsichord." [RAHwebsite]

[JasonPalmer]

Interval chat...milton, john milton ? As in paradise lost ? Yes that milton..... does anyone actually know of any other famous milton eh

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Sadly I missed the start of tonight’s Prom, but it’s been rather fine so far. Pairing the AAM with the Philharmonia Chorus isn’t what you might call predictable but they gel well.

[JasonPalmer]

Enjoying it, reminds me of a handel opera i heard at the coliseum but the title evades me.

[edashtav]

Handel at the height of his powers. A wonderfully dramatic evening with Allan Clayton a powerful presence as Samson. I thoroughly enjoyed the evening because the music is so varied and the work contains at least three numbers that most of us heard and knew before realising they were snatched from a vast oratorio. Milton’s story is told so compellingly in the music that three hours pass quickly and without longueurs. Another ‘winner’ in a Proms season which has resounded with memorable performances.

[jonfan]

Handel at the height of his powers. A wonderfully dramatic evening with Allan Clayton a powerful presence as Samson. I thoroughly enjoyed the evening because the music is so varied and the work contains at least three numbers that most of us heard and knew before realising they were snatched from a vast oratorio. Milton’s story is told so compellingly in the music that three hours pass quickly and without longueurs. Another ‘winner’ in a Proms season which has resounded with memorable performances.

Thoroughly agree.
I have a treasured recording of Samson with Dame Janet as Delilah, a woman you would not wish your teenage son to be left alone with!!

[duncan]

I enjoyed this a lot.

Pairing the AAM with the Philharmonia Chorus isn’t what you might call predictable but they gel well.

The Philharmonia chorus has changed from David Hill’s time: they now have fewer big, vibrato-ladened, voices. I thought they sounded the part.

For those that were not there, as well as singing splendidly, Allan Clayton looked like a pocket Giant Haystacks. Very appropriate for the biblical strongman who’d been banged-up for some time.

[Kingfisher]

Perhaps the vibrato laden Conservatoire students who are generally bolstering the Philharmonia Chorus were still on vacation?

[bluestateprommer]

Finally caught up with the AAM Proms Samson, perhaps fitting after I read Milton's Samson Agonistes for the first time, in unwitting subliminal preparation. I've confessed before to being nowhere near an aficionado of Handel oratorios, but to my ear, this was a terrific performance all around. Definitely well worth hearing if anyone else hasn't yet heard it (but I suspect that all readers here already have).

This old link was helpful in following the text, although this Proms performance skipped over quite a bit of the text that I saw on-line:

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