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Sarah Connolly (mezzo-soprano), Carolyn Sampson (soprano), Susan Gritton (soprano), Mark Padmore (tenor) & 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! “…sleek playing from the Berlin period instrument players, though the choir sounds too slim-line for the big moments. As Zadok, Mark Padmore moves around most of the notes with skill. Sarah Connolly is articulate as Solomon, her carefully measured tone combining warmth with dynamism. Susan Gritton is graceful as Solomon's queen and striking as the First Harlot... But Daniel Reuss's conducting is slack, allowing tempos to drag.” BBC Music Magazine, December 2007 *** | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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| |  | listen: | | Habdel: Solomon - Act I |  |
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Carolyn Watkinson, Nancy Argenta & Barbara Hendricks Monteverdi Choir & English Baroque Soloists, John Eliot Gardiner | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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Ewa Wolak, Elisabeth Scholl, Nicola Wemyss, Knut Schoch & Matthias Vieweg Junge Kantorei & Frankfurt Baroque Orchestra, Joachim Carlos Martini | | | Usually despatched in 2 - 3 working days. |
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| |  | “Handel at Home” – Arias arranged for flute, strings & harpsichord
London Handel Players, Laurence Cummings “Don’t let the cosy title of this release, with its tiny line-up of executants; fool you into thinking this disc is
going to provide only urbane drawing-room delights. The delights are there in plenty, but so are plenty of
surprises. It is also a valuable historical document for those fascinated by performance practice in the
early decades of the 18th century…Handel at Home begins with a lovely little Flute Concerto in G
minor…SOMM’s presentation and packaging are up to their usual fine standards, and the close but gentle
recording quality suits the music perfectly.” Christopher Morley (The Birmingham Post) | | | Usually despatched in 3 - 4 working days. |
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John Cameron, Elsie Morison, Alexander Young & Lois Marshall Beecham Choral Society & Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Sir Thomas Beecham | | | Usually despatched in 3 - 4 working days. |
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| |  | The Beecham Collection - Handel
Handel: | Solomon (edited and arranged by Sir Thomas Beecham) |
John Cameron (baritone), Alexander Young (tenor), Elsie Morison (soprano), Lois Marshall (soprano) The Beecham Choral Society, Sir Thomas Beecham | | | Usually despatched in 3 - 4 working days. |
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Watkinson, Argenta, Hendricks, Rolfe Johnson Monteverdi Choir, English Baroque Soloists, Gardiner | | | Usually despatched in 2 - 3 working days. |
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Tim Mead, Dominque Labelle, Claron McFadden, Micheal Slattery & Roderick Williams. Winchester Cathedral Choir & Festspielorchester Gottingen, Nicholas McGegan Recorded live at performances in Dresden “…Nicholas McGegan… conducting is light on its feet without ever sounding pressed. His soloists, bar for bar, match Reuss's in quality. Tim Mead's counter-tenor Solomon offers pleasing tone… Dominque Labelle sparkles as his consort while Claron McFadden's Queen of Sheba is as shiny as her Second Harlot is shrill. The general fluency of Michael Slattery's Zadok (as with Padmore) is only impeded when the notes come really thick and fast, and Roderick Williams's Levite is sonorous and smooth. Both sets are good, through neither quite matches Paul McCreesh's complete and colourful version, which also has the best sound.” BBC Music Magazine, December 2007 **** | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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Andreas Scholl (contralto), Inger Dam-Jensen (soprano), Alison Hagley (soprano), Susan Bickley (soprano), Susan Gritton (soprano), Paul Agnew (tenor), Peter Harvey (bass) Gabrieli Consort and Players, Paul McCreesh | | | In stock - usually despatched within 1 working day. |
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| |  | Handel - Oratorios
Nancy Argenta, Donna Brown, Lynne Dawson, Barbara Hendricks, Ruth Holton, Anne Sofie von Otter, Carolyn Watkinson, Michael Chance, Derek Lee Ragin, John Mark Ainsley, Neil Mackie, Nigel Robson, Anthony Rolfe Johnson, Alastair Miles & Stephen Varcoe Monteverdi Choir & English Baroque Soloists, John Eliot Gardiner (Recorded: January 1984-June 1990) | | | Usually despatched in 2 - 3 working days. |
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