Prom 55: Handel’s Jephtha - 30.08.19

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

19:00 Friday 30 August 2019
Royal Albert Hall

George Frideric Handel: Jephtha

Allan Clayton (Jephtha)
Jeanine De Bique (Iphis)
Hilary Summers (Storgè)
Tim Mead (Hamor)
Cody Quattlebaum (Zebul)
Rowan Pierce (Angel)
Scottish Chamber Orchestra Chorus
Scottish Chamber Orchestra
Richard Egarr (conductor)

Following on from the success of last year’s Theodora, the multi-year Proms Handel cycle continues with the composer’s last, and perhaps greatest, oratorio – Jephtha.

Period-performance specialist Richard Egarr conducts the Scottish Chamber Orchestra and SCO Chorus in the devastating story of the warrior Jephtha commanded by God to sacrifice his daughter Iphis.

Tenor Allan Clayton is the conflicted Jephtha, with Trinidadian soprano Jeanine De Bique as Iphis.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

They all seem to the greatest, according to Radio 3.

[edashtav]

They all seem to the greatest, according to Radio 3.

I'm shocked to see no posts about tonight's great concert performance of Handel's mature and graphic final oratorio Jeptha. Soloists, SCO, Chorus and, most of all, Richard Egarr, director, sang and played it with excellent drive, characterisation, revealed a flow of intense melody and polyphony.Allan Clayton as Jeptha, and Jeanine De Bique as his doomed daughter dominated the scene, and, at once point, I thought Allan would wreck his voice so intense was his commitment to his awful role. The SCO Chorus sang with fine blend , rhythmic vitality and joyous freshness of tone.

Nothing dragged. Do not miss this treat, please. Carpe diem: catch it on iPlayer.

[Master Jacques]

I'm shocked to see no posts about tonight's great concert performance of Handel's mature and graphic final oratorio Jeptha. Soloists, SCO, Chorus and, most of all, Richard Egarr, director, sang and played it with excellent drive, characterisation, revealed a flow of intense melody and polyphony.Allan Clayton as Jeptha, and Jeanine De Bique as his doomed daughter dominated the scene, and, at once point, I thought Allan would wreck his voice so intense was his commitment to his awful role. The SCO Chorus sang with fine blend , rhythmic vitality and joyous freshness of tone.

Nothing dragged. Do not miss this treat, please. Carpe diem: catch it on iPlayer.

No post from me until now, because I had the privilege of being there, edashtav. A work of astonishing depth, complexity as well as great surface appeal - the way Handel leads us from the heights of hope and optimism, down to the depths of human experience and then back up to modified resolution makes for as powerful a work as anything in the dramatic/operatic canon (even Idomeneo, which it resembles in many ways theatrically and musically - young Mozart obviously knew Jephtha well.)

The solo work was tremendous, as was the choral commitment - nobody there is likely to forget the way the young Scots flung Handel's terrifying, Beethovenian dictum "Whatever is, is right!" out at the audience, with total despair, to cap that devastating second act. Allan Clayton fined down his reserves most beautifully for an impossibly moving "Waft her, angels..." and everyone else was extremely well cast and characterful. If Richard Egarr has two speeds - Allegro and Allegro molto - I agree with you that the drive and flow (and intense involvement) were palpable.

Despite the cuts to the 2nd and 3rd acts, this was an evening to remember for a long time.

[David-G]

I also was there, front row Arena - a great experience. Agree with everything said above. A friend's sister died of cancer recently, quite young - the funeral was this morning. In that circumstance, that extraordinary "Whatever is, is right" just about finished me off.

[jonfan]

Very tempting comments above so will catch up. I was diverted by the Bavarians on TV last night.

[bluestateprommer]

Finally did catch up with the Jephtha Prom, just before the 30-day deadline (as is the case with several Proms in that week). In a way, it's perhaps understandable that there weren't more comments on this Prom, because 3+ hours of Handel is a lot to handle (pun reasonably intended) in one go. While I have heard 3+ hours of Handel live in the opera house, in this particular instance, I didn't have MJ's or David-G's fortitude, so I listened over 3 separate days, one Act per day. Agree that the performance was very good indeed. I didn't see the cuts coming, while following the text on-line. Separately, I read the essay by Ruth Smith from Harry Christophers' CORO recording as background to the work. Very fine interval discussion in this Prom as well.