Muito bom disco apesar do bit rate baixo dos arquivos. The King’s Consort dá um espetáculo com todos os benefícios de timbre e textura autênticos e um impecável time de cantores. Handel compôs o oratório Judas Maccabeus no Verão de 1746, após Messiah, Samson, Belshazzar e Israel in Egypt. Com libreto do Rev. Thomas Morell, Judas Maccabeus relata a história da revolta dos Macabeus contra a ocupação dos sírios e também celebra a vitória do Duque de Cumberland sobre o Príncipe Carlos Eduardo da Escócia. O primeiro livro dos Macabeus relata a resistência do povo judeu à conquista da Judeia pelos sírios em 169 a.C. Com o oratório, Händel, um leal partidário da sucessão de Hanover ao trono de Inglaterra, pretendia celebrar a vitória militar do Duque de Cumberland na batalha de Culloden, que teve lugar em Abril de 1746. A rebelião jacobita do Príncipe Carlos Eduardo, sucessor dos Stuart e pretendente ao trono de Inglaterra, terminou em Culloden. Nesta mistureca militar, separadas por mais de 1500 anos, Händel escolheu o tema da vitória militar dos Macabeus para coroar a sua habitual série londrina de concertos de oratório. Estreada em 1 de Abril de 1747 em Londres no Teatro de Covent Garden, o oratório Judas Maccabeus foi um sucesso na sua estreia e tornou-se um dos mais populares de Händel. Durante a vida do compositor, foi executado pelo menos 54 vezes, 33 das quais sob a sua direção.
Georg Friedrich Händel (1685-1759): Judas Maccabaeus (Robert King)
CD1:
01. Act I. Overture: [Grave] – Allegro – Lentement – Allegro
02. Chorus: Mourn, ye afflicted children, the remains
03. Recitative: Well, may your sorrows, brethren, flow (Israelitish man, Israelitish woman)
04. Duet: From this dread scene, these adverse pow’rs (Israelitish man, Israelitish woman)
05. Chorus: For Sion lamentation make
06. Recitative: Not vain is all this storm of grief (Israelitish man)
07. Air: Pious orgies, pious airs (Israelitish man)
08. Chorus: O Father, whose almighty pow’r
09. Recitative: I feel, I feel the Deity within (Simon)
10. Air – Chorus: Arm, arm, ye brave! A noble cause (Simon)
11. Recitative: ‘Tis well, my friends; with transport I behold (Judas Maccabaeus)
12. Air: Call forth thy pow’rs, my soul, and dare (Judas Maccabaeus)
13. Recitative: To heav’n’s almighty king we kneel (Israelitish woman)
14. Air: O liberty, thou choicest treasure (Israelitish woman)
15. Air: Come, ever-smiling liberty (Israelitish woman)
16. Recitative: O Judas, may these noble views inspire (Israelitish man)
17. Air: ‘Tis liberty, dear liberty alone (Israelitish man)
18. Duet: Come, ever-smiling liberty (Israelitish man, Israelitish woman)
19. Chorus: Lead on, lead on! Judah disdains
20. Recitative: So will’d my father, now at rest (Judas Maccabaeus)
21. Semi-chorus: Disdainful of danger, we’ll rush on the foe
22. Recitative: Ambition! If e’er honour was thine aim (Judas Maccabaeus)
23. Air: No unhallow’d desire (Judas Maccabaeus)
24. Recitative: Haste we, my brethren, haste we to the field (Israelitish man)
25. Chorus: Hear us, O Lord, on thee we call
26. Act II. Chorus: Fall’n is the foe; so fall thy foes, O Lord!
27. Recitative: Victorious hero! Fame shall tell (Israelitish man)
28. Air: So rapid thy course is
29. Recitative: Well may we hope our freedom to receive (Israelitish man)
30. Duet – Chorus: Sion now her head shall raise (Israelitish man, Israelitish woman)
31. Recitative: Oh, let eternal honours crown his name (Israelitish woman)
32. Air: From mighty kings he took the spoil (Israelitish woman)
CD2:
01. Duet – Chorus: Hail, hail, Judea. Happy land! (Israelitish man, Israelitish woman)
02. Recitative: Thanks to my brethren; but look up to heav’n (Judas Maccabaeus)
03. Air: How vain is man, who boasts in fight (Judas Maccabaeus)
04. Recitative: O Judas, O my brethren! (Messenger)
05. Air – Chorus: Ah! wretched, wretched Israel! Fall’n, how low (Israelitish woman)
06. Recitative: Be comforted, nor think these plagues are sent (Simon)
07. Air: The Lord worketh wonders (Simon)
08. Recitative: My arms! Against this Gorgias will I go (Judas Maccabaeus)
09. Air – Chorus: Sound an alarm! Your silver trumpets sound (Judas Maccabaeus)
10. Recitative: Enough! To heav’n we leave the rest (Simon)
11. Air: With pious hearts, and brave as pious (Simon)
12. Recitative: Ye worshippers of God (Israelitish man, Israelitish woman)
13. Air: Wise men, flatt’ring, may deceive us (Israelitish woman)
14. Duet – Chorus: Oh! Never, never bow we down (Israelitish woman, Israelitish man)
15. Act III. Air: Father of heav’n! From thy eternal throne (Priest)
16. Recitative: See, see yon flames, that from the altar broke (Israelitish man, Israelitish woman)
17. Air: So shall the lute and harp awake (Israelitish woman)
18. Recitative: From Capharsalama on eagle wings I fly (Messengers)
19. Chorus: See, the conqu’ring hero comes! (Chorus of youths, Chorus of virgins)
20. March
21. Chorus: Sing unto God, and high affections raise
22. Recitative: Sweet flow the strains, that strike my feasted ear (Judas Maccabaeus)
23. Air: With honour let desert be crown’d (Judas Maccabaeus)
24. Recitative: Peace to my countrymen; peace and liberty (Eupolemus)
25. Chorus: To our great God be all the honour giv’n
26. Recitative: Again to earth let gratitude descend (Israelitish woman)
27. Air: O lovely peace, with plenty crown’d (Israelitish woman)
28. Air – Chorus: Rejoice, O Judah! and, in songs divine (Simon)
Judas Maccabaeus – Jamie MacDougall
Israelitish woman – Emma Kirkby
Israelitish man – Catherine Denley
Simon – Michael George
Priest, Messenger – James Bowman
Eupolemus, Messenger – Simon Birchall
New College Choir, Oxford
The King’s Consort
Conductor – Robert King
PQP