G.F. Handel in his 50s and 60s

Finally I managed to extend my knowledge of the oratorios beyond Messiah. So I discovered the the mix of tender arias and glorious choruses in Solomon, the lush inventiveness of Hercules and (surprise) a quartet in Jephtha, Handel's last work. If you prefer instrumental music there is something for you at the end.

This portrait of Handel (→source) has been sketched by his famous contemporary William Hogarth.


George Frideric Handel (1685-1759)


Israel in Egypt
& 2 Coronation Anthems

Holton, Priday, Deam, Stafford, Chance, Collin, Kenny, Robertson, Salmon, Tindall, Tusa, Purves
Monteverdi Choir
English Baroque Soloists
John Eliot Gardiner
Philips 473 304-2 (2003). Recorded 1990, 1993
[flac, cue, log, scans]


Messiah
1750 version

Kerstin Avemo, Patricia Bardon, Lawrence Zazzo, Kobie van Rensburg, Neal Davis
The Choir of Clare College
Freuburger Barockorchester
René Jacobs
Harmonia Mundi HMC 901928.29 (2006)
[flac, cue, log, scans with libretto]


Semele

Norma Burrowes, Patrizia Kwella, Elisabeth Priday, Della Jones, Catherine Denley, Timothy Penrose, Anthony Rolf-Johnson, Maldwin Davies, Robert Lloyd, David Thomas
Monteverdi Choir
English Baroque Soloists
John Eliot Gardiner
Erato 2292-45982-2 (1983)
[flac, cue, log, scans]

Hercules

Gidon Saks, Anne Sofie von Otter, Richard Croft, Lynne Dawson, David Daniels
Choeur des Musiciens du Louvre
Les  Musiciens du Louvre
Marc Minkovski
Deutsche Grammophon 469 532-2 (2002)
[flac, cue, log, scans]


Alexander's Feast

Donna Brown, Carolyn Watkinson, Ashley Stafford, Nigel Robson, Stephen Varcoe
Monteverdi Choir
English Baroque Soloists
John Eliot Gardiner
Philips 422 053-2 (1988)
[flac, cue, log, scans with libretto]


Solomon

Andreas Scholl, Susan Gritton, Paul Agnew, Peter Harvey, Inger Dam-Jensen, Alison Hagley, Susan Bickley
Gabrieli Consort and Players
Paul McCreesh
Deutsche Grammophon 459 688-2 (1999)
[flac, cue, log, scans]


Theodora

Sophie Daneman, Daniel Taylor, Richard Croft, Nathan Berg, Juliette Galstian, Laurent Slaars
Les Arts Florissants
William Christie
Warner Classics/Erato 0927 43181-2 (2003)
[flac, cue, log, scans]
low-res libretto


Jephtha

Nigel Robson, Lynne Dawson, Anne Sofie von Otter, Michael Chance, Stephen Varcoe, Ruth Holton
English Baroque Soloists
John Eliot Gardiner
Philips 422 351-2 (1989)
[flac, cue, log, scans with libretto]



Organ Concertos op. 4

Accademia Bizantina
Ottavio Dantone organ
Decca 478 1465 (2009)
[flac, cue, log, scans]






4 Coronation Anthems
Choir of Westminster Abbey
The English Concert
Simon Preston
2 Concerti a due cori
The English Concert
Trevor Pinnock
Archiv 447 280-2 (1995). Recorded 1981, 1984
[flac, cue, log, scans]


Music for the Royal Fireworks
3 Concerti a due cori

Zefiro
Alfredo Bernardini
Amadeus AM 221-2 (2008)
[flac, cue, log, scans]





Messiah by Hickox →post
Messiah by Minkowski →Davide's post
Messiah by Harnoncourt, Leuskin →DutchPublisher's post

G.F. Handel in his 20s and 30s →post
G.F. Handel in his 40s and 50s →post