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 *** |
Gramophone Magazine
