G. F. HANDEL Solomon

 

Solomon: Sarah Connolly (mezzo-soprano);

Solomon's Queen: Carolyn Sampson (soprano);

Queen of Sheba: Susan Gritton (soprano);

Zadok the Priest: Mark Padmore (tenor);

Levite: David Wilson-Johnson (baritone)

 

RIAS Kammerchor,

Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin / Daniel Reuss

 

Handel was 63 years old when he composed Solomon, one of his final masterpieces.The plot is simple with Act 1 dealing with the inauguration of the newly completed temple, and ends with Solomon beckoning his Queen toward the cedar grove, where one suspects it is not just the 'amorous turtles' that 'love beneath the pleasing gloom'. Act II is based around the well known story of two women arguing over who is the mother of the new-born baby, and Solomon's sharp thinking to find a solution and Act III portrays the visit of the Queen of Sheba (also known as the Queen of Egypt and Ethiopia), and her amazement at the glory and splendour of Solomon's court.With a relatively small and diverse cast of characters (Solomon, Queen of Sheba, two Harlots, Zadok the Priest and a Levite) it falls to the chorus, as builders and inhabitants of this 'golden' city, to emphasis the grandeur and splendour of Solomon's kingdom and to literarily provide the pillars of the whole piece.These grand choruses, seven of which are in eight voice parts, add to the texture and opulence of the oratorio mirroring the glory of the court and religious intensity.

This 'perfect marriage of music and English words', as Winton Dean has called it, caused the composer serious financial difficulties in 1749 on account of the exceptional forces it required - but today, under the baton of Daniel Reuss, with an unbeatable British cast, finds a performance totally devoted to its noble cause!

 

Harmonia Mundi 2cds HMC901949-50