Audio CD review:
Stephen Varcoe, George Frideric Handel, John Eliot Gardiner, Carolyn Watkinson, Della Jones, English Baroque Soloists, Barbara Hendricks, Joan Rodgers, Nancy Argenta, Anthony Rolfe Johnson - Handel: Solomon

Stephen Varcoe, George Frideric Handel, John Eliot Gardiner, Carolyn Watkinson, Della Jones, English Baroque Soloists, Barbara Hendricks, Joan Rodgers, Nancy Argenta, Anthony Rolfe Johnson - Handel: Solomon

Band: Stephen Varcoe, George Frideric Handel, John Eliot Gardiner, Carolyn Watkinson, Della Jones, English Baroque Soloists, Barbara Hendricks, Joan Rodgers, Nancy Argenta, Anthony Rolfe Johnson Title: Handel: Solomon Rating: Release Date: 12 September, 2006 Media: Audio CD Tracks: 1: Overture 2: Your Harps And Cymbals 3: Praise Ye The Lord 4: With Pious Heart 5: Almighty Power 6: Imperial Solomon 7: Throughout The Land 8: Bless'd Be The Lord 9: And See My Queen 10: Bless'd The Day 11: Thou Fair Inhabitant/Welcome As The Dawn Of Day 12: My Blooming Fair/Haste, Haste 13: When Thou Art Absent/With Thee Th'Unshelter'd Moor I'd Tread 14: May No Rash Intruder 15: From The Censer 16: Prais'd Be The Lord/When The Sun 17: Great Prince/Thrice Bless'd 18: My Sovereign Liege 19: Thou Son Of David/Words Are Weak 20: What Says The Other/Thy Sentence, Great King 21: Withhold, Withhold The Executing Hand/Can I See My Infant Gor'd 22: Israel, Attend 23: Thrice Bless'd Be The King 24: From The East Unto The West 25: No More Shall Armed Bands 26: Swell, Swell The Full Chorus 27: The Arrival Of The Queen Of Sheba 28: From Arabia's Spicy Shores 29: Sweep, Sweep The String/Music, Spread Thy Voice 30: Now A Diff'rent Measure/Shake The Dome 31: Then At Once From Rage/Draw The Tear From Hopeless Love 32: Next The Tortur'd Soul/Thus Rolling Surges Rise 33: Thy Harmony's Divine 34: Thrice Happy King 35: May Peace In Salem Ever Dwell/Will The Sun Forget To Streak 36: Adieu, Fair Queen/Ev'ry Joy That Wisdom Knows 37: Praise The Lord

Customer Reviews A Classic Recording of Handel's Masterpiece It's one of the finest recordings of any Handel oratorio. This recording is in a league of it's own. Gardiner is in top form both in exucution and in creating musical drama. The orchestra and the chorus are clean and direct and the soloists are all first rate. Carolyn Watkinson, in the title role, has never sounded better. (History finds that this role was always intended by the composer to be sung by a mezzo/contralto. ) The scene between Solomon and the two Harlots, in what must be considered the dramatic peak of the work, is brought vividly to life by the wonderful Joan Rodgers and Della Jones along with Watkinson. Here the singers, along with Gardiner and the orchestra, sucessfully create a scene of both pathos and spitfire vengeance - all at the same time. Rodgers brings heartbreaking sympathy to her character - the First Harlot and Jones delivers a truly stunning depiction of hatred and jealousy in her portrayal of the Second Harlot. This scene sizzles (unlike the recent McCreesh recording). Barbara Hendricks is stately, regal and exotic in the role of the Queen of Sheba. Her performance of "Will the Sun Forget to Streak" is a gem. Not only is the aria truly gorgeous, but Hendricks' delivery is straightforward and her diction is incredibly clear and precise. This aria is definitely one of the highpoints of the oratorio and reminds the listener of what is to be learned from the great deeds of Solomon. Appearing near the end of the work, it's pivitol to the summation of the entire composition. In other roles, the always lovely voiced Nancy Argenta sings an exquisite Solomon's Queen, while Anthony Rolfe Johnson and Stephen Varcoe splendidly sing the roles of Zadok and "a Levite" respectively. Purists will quibble with some of the cuts Gardiner has made, but in listening to the McCreesh performance, which is complete, one can see why Gardiner cuts what he does (perhaps with the exception of Sheba's first aria)and what he was trying to achieve by doing so. This is a recording that every serious classical music lover should not be without. a voice teacher and early music fan In this work he demanded a grander, more sumptuous orchestra than for any other oratorio, and it contains a high proportion of choral music written in the most imposing ceremonial style. 'Solomon' is probably the most magnificent and the most lavish of all the Handel oratorios. We have to remember that Handel's primary aim was to entertain, not to preach. The choruses are the pillars of the whole piece; but their function is not primarily dramatic; except in the Queen of Sheba's masque in Act III. They are not actual partiipants in the drama, but they do set the mood for the development of the drama by means of the soloists and the orchestra. The chorus is divided into two four-part choirs and nearly always it is the strings and the trumpets and timpani which accompany the first choir, while the horns and woodwinds accompany the second choir. This is a first-rate well-done production as one might expect when John Eliot Gardiner is at the helm. His Monteverdi singers are abolutely marvelous in this work: sonorous tone quality, good balance between the voice parts, clear and precise diction and good emotional investment. Gardiner's tempos are upbeat and even the slow selections have a bouyancy and a moving forward that many choirs, professional and otherwise often lack. The soloists sing with great skill and the individual characterizaions are quite impressive. The one thing that really bothered me throughout is the fact that a femele (Carolyn Watkinson-soprano) sang the role of Solomon. Not that she wasn't splendid vocally; in fact she was excellent. BUT there are 5 treble voices in this opera and being able to tell the difference between the charcters was somewhat difficult (and they were all good!!!) It was almost a relief to hear Zadok's (Anthony R. Johnson) voice and that of 'A Levite' (Stephen Varcoe). One has to wonder why Gardiner did not use a male alto or countertenor. This impels me to mention the Maulbron 'Solomon' under the direction of Jurgen Budday with Michael Chance as 'Solomon'. I truly enjoy it more; everything that is good on this one is good on that one. But take your pick; either way you'll be a winner!!!!. . You can see a complete list of all Stephen Varcoe, George Frideric Handel, John Eliot Gardiner, Carolyn Watkinson, Della Jones, English Baroque Soloists, Barbara Hendricks, Joan Rodgers, Nancy Argenta, Anthony Rolfe Johnson discography, or go back to the Stephen Varcoe, George Frideric Handel, John Eliot Gardiner, Carolyn Watkinson, Della Jones, English Baroque Soloists, Barbara Hendricks, Joan Rodgers, Nancy Argenta, Anthony Rolfe Johnson tabs