Search - George Frideric Handel, Jürgen Budday, Hannoversche Hofkapelle :: Händel: Solomon (in English, historically accurate)

A voice teacher and early music fan

George Peabody | Planet Earth | 12/02/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"A SENSATIONAL 'SOLOMON' PRESENTED LIVE AT MAULBRONN MONASTERY IN SEPTEMBER 2003.



In the summer of 1748, Handel composed his oratorio 'Solomon' which depicts a wise and God-fearing ruler; Solomon's court portraying the image of an ideal society.



The central theme of the libretto originates from the Old Testament: the book of Kings ( lst Kings 1-11) and the Chronicles ( chapters 1-9). This oratorio is not distinguished with a dramatic plot, but rather contains juxtaposed pictures and scenes.



With two choirs and seven 8-voice choir parts, Handel makes use of all the exciting composition possibilities of that time. By casting Solomon with a countertenor voice (Michael Chance), he makes use of opera's tradition of elevating heroes with supernatural strength and wisdom into the superhuman by using feminine voices.



Budday has assembled an outstanding group of skilled and experienced soloists: Michael Chance, countertenor as Solomon; Nancy Argenta, soprano sings two roles,Solomon's Queen and First Harlot; Laurie Reviol, soprano sings two roles, Queen of Sheba and Second Harlot; Julian Podger, tenor the role of Zadok; Steffan Balbach, bass the role of the Levite. For the most part, the soloists projected their respective roles with proper 'Handelian' interpretion and vocal 'know-how'.



Budday's choir is well-disciplined and blends extremely well, although there were a few places where the pitch seemed to go awry in the soprano section, but that fault was not frequent and not all that detracting from the overall choral effect. For the most part the words of the chorus were understandable and created the proper dramatic tension. The Orchestra was excellent both in solo sections and providing a quality accompaniment.



Michael Chance as Solomon was superb in the role, not only dramatically but certainly vocally. His voice is incredibly beautiful! The scene with the two harlots who were both claiming the same child was compellingly realistic. However, it is somewhat unfortunate that this dramatic core of the oratorio is split across the two discs for it breaks (for an instant) Handel's most magnificent confrontation, that is the title(Solomon's) character's judgement between the two harlots - record companies ought to be more careful of this type thing!



This is Budday's Fifth Handel Oratorio at Maulbronn and he has produced a most attractive performance creating some outstanding moments for us - Michael Chance makes an engaging Solomon who sounds like he means every word and understands every verse 'What tho' I trace each herb and flower' most excellent - the tempo of 'Queen of Sheba' that Budday paces according to the musical content rather than trying to set a world record, as is the usual case in many other recordings; all of these moments are special in this recording; don't miss it if you are a true 'Handelian'.



Unfortunately, the liner notes do not include the libretto and only contain the outline of the program and the first line of each selection in English. There is small amount of information about the Oratorio and its performers in German and English.



I would be remiss if I did not add that this being my first experience with Maulbronn recordings provided me with thrills and chills. It was incredibly exciting both vocally and dramatically! And the fact that it was a 'live' performance added to the overall effect."