Handel: Solomon

“With panache [Gardiner] shows how authentic-sized forces can convey Handelian glamour even with sharply focused textures and fast speeds...the overriding glory is the singing of the Monteverdi Choir. Its clean, crisp articulation matches the brilliant playing of the English Baroque Soloists.” Penguin Guide, 2011 edition

“…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 ****

“McGegan… directs his responsive orchestra with his customary rhythmic verve and feeling for the grand gesture. He uses an all-male choir, as Handel himself did, often with memorable results… Though they could make more of their words, McGegan's sopranos are both fine (Dominique Labelle, with her not unattractive fast vibrato, is especially moving as the first harlot); and Roderick Williams sings with warm, firm tone as the Levite.” Gramophone Magazine, December 2007

“Solomon is universally recognised as one of Handel's finest masterpieces, not only with magnificent choruses, but more importantly containing rapturous love music, nature imagery, affecting emotion and the vividly portrayed dramatic scene of Solomon's famous judgement over the disputed infant. This is in fact the only dramatic part of the oratorio; and each of the female characters appears in only one of the work's three parts. Paul McCreesh, responsive to the work's stature, employs an orchestra of about 60 (including a serpent as the bass of the wind group) and presents the oratorio in the original 1749 version, full and uncut.
It's been argued that even in so splendid a work Handel was fallible enough to include some dead wood. McCreesh, however, stoutly defends the original structural balance. In one respect, though, he does depart from Handel's intentions.
By the time Solomon was written, he was using no castratos in his oratorios, and the title-role was deliberately designed for a mezzo-soprano; but here the chance to secure the pre-eminent countertenor Andreas Scholl was irresistible. The colour of Handel's predominantly female vocal casting (only Zadok and the smaller-part Levite being exceptions) is thus slightly modified. This historical infidelity is one of the few possible reservations about the set, which is a notable achievement. McCreesh is fortunate in his cast, too. Predictably, Scholl becomes the central focus by his beauty of voice, calm authority, charm and intelligent musicianship. Inger Dam-Jensen, as Solomon's queen, sounds suitably ecstatic in the florid 'Blessed the day' and amorous in 'With thee th'unsheltered moor', and her duet with Solomon flows with easy grace. To Susan Gritton falls the sublime 'Will the sun forget to streak', with its wonderful unison oboe-and-flute obbligato.
As the high priest Zadok, Paul Agnew shines in the ornate 'See the tall palm'. A more positive and audible keyboard continuo would have been welcome, but this is a minor shortcoming, and the effect of the performance as a whole is deeply impressive, with such things as 'Will the sun', the grave interlude to 'With pious heart' and the elegiac chorus 'Draw the tear from hopeless love' haunting the listener's mind.” Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010

“Harmonia Mundi have somehow contrived to telescope that most industriously inventive of musical centuries into this 30CD set, by dint of ingenious thematic programming which apportions discs to different modes...it's an indisputable bargain box.” The Independent, 28th December 2011 ****