Handel: Alexander Balus

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Alexander Balus has never been one of Handel's more popular oratorios. That's mainly because its plot is by modern standards lacking in drama and motivation, and accordingly doesn't call forth... — Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010 More…

Catalogue No: CDA67241-2
Label: Hyperion
Length: 2 hours 35 minutes

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Handel: Alexander Balus

Work length2:35:25

$72.60

$99.00

Catherine Denley (contralto), Charles Daniels (tenor), Michael George (bass), Lynne Dawson (soprano), Claron McFadden (soprano), Charles Pott (bass), Charles Humphries (countertenor), Thomas Raskin (tenor), Simon Birchall (bass)
King's Consort, New College Choir Oxford ; King's Consort Choir
Robert King

Act 1 Ouverture. [Grave] – Allegro

Track length2:51

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Act 1 Scene 1 No 01. Chorus. Flush'd with conquest, fir'd by Mithra (Asiates)

Track length3:11

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Act 1 Scene 1 No 02. Recitative. Thus far, ye glorious partners of the war (Alexander / Jonathan)

Track length1:28

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Act 1 Scene 1 No 03. Air. Great Author of this harmony (Jonathan)

Track length3:17

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Act 1 Scene 1 No 04. Flourish of trumpets

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Act 1 Scene 1 No 05. Recitative. And thus let happy Egypt's king (Ptolomee)

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Act 1 Scene 1 No 06. Air. Thrice happy the monarch, whom nations content (Ptolomee)

Track length3:43

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Act 1 Scene 1 No 07. Recitative. Congratulation to our father's friend (Cleopatra)

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Act 1 Scene 1 No 08. Air. Hark! hark! he strikes the golden lyre (Cleopatra)

Track length5:58

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Act 1 Scene 1 No 09. Recitative. Be it my chief ambition there to rise (Alexander)

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Act 1 Scene 1 No 10. Air. Fair virtue shall charm me (Alexander)

Track length2:24

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Act 1 Scene 1 No 11. Chorus. Ye happy nations round (Asiates)

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Act 1 Scene 2 No 1. Recitative. My Jonathan (Alexander)

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Act 1 Scene 2 No 2. Air. Oh, what resistless charms are giv'n (Alexander)

Track length4:13

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Act 1 Scene 3 No 1. Air. Subtle love, with fancy viewing (Cleopatra)

Track length4:55

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Act 1 Scene 3 No 2. Recitative. Aspasia, I know not what to call (Cleopatra)

Track length0:45

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Act 1 Scene 3 No 3. Air. How happy should we mortals prove (Cleopatra)

Track length2:26

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Act 1 Scene 3 No 4. Recitative. Check not the pleasing accents of thy tongue (Aspasia)

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Act 1 Scene 3 No 5. Air. So shall the sweet attractive smile (Aspasia)

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Act 1 Scene 3 No 6. Recitative. How blissful state! (Cleopatra / Aspasia)

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Act 1 Scene 3 No 7. Duet. O what pleasures, past expressing (Cleopatra / Aspasia)

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Act 1 Scene 4 No 1. Recitative. Why hangs this heavy gloom upon the brow (Jonathan / Alexander)

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Act 1 Scene 4 No 2. Air. Heroes may boast their mighty deed (Alexander)

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Act 1 Scene 5 No 1. Recitative. Ye sons of Judah, with high festival (Jonathan)

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Act 1 Scene 5 No 2. Air with chorus. Great God, from whom all blessings spring (Jonathan / Israelites)

Track length4:38

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Act 2 Scene 1 No 1. Air. Kind hope, thou universal friend (Alexander)

Track length6:04

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Act 2 Scene 1 No 2. Recitative. Long, long and happy live the king! (Jonathan / Alexander)

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Act 2 Scene 1 No 3. Air. O Mithra, with thy brightest beams (Alexander)

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Act 2 Scene 1 No 4. Recitative. Stay, my dread sovereign (Sycophant courtier / Alexander / Jonathan)

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Act 2 Scene 1 No 5. Air. Mighty love now calls to arm (Alexander)

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Act 2 Scene 1 No 6. Air. Hateful man! thy sland'rous tongue (Jonathan)

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Act 2 Scene 1 No 7. Chorus. O calumny, on virtue waiting (Israelites)

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Act 2 Scene 2 No 1. Recitative. Ah! whence these dire forebodings of the mind? (Cleopatra)

Track length0:39

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Act 2 Scene 2 No 2. Air. Tossed from thought to thought I rove (Cleopatra)

Track length6:29

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Act 2 Scene 2 No 3. Recitative. Give to the winds, fair princess, these vain doubts (Aspasia)

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Act 2 Scene 2 No 4. Air. Love, glory, ambition, whate'er can inspire (Aspasia)

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Act 2 Scene 3 No 1. Recitative. Thus far my wishes thrive (Ptolomee)

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Act 2 Scene 3 No 2. Air. Virtue, thou ideal name (Ptolomee)

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Act 2 Scene 4 No 1. Accompagnato. Ye happy people, with loud accents speak (Jonathan)

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Act 2 Scene 4 No 2. Soli with chorus. Triumph Hymen in the pair

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Act 2 Scene 4 No 3. Recitative. Glad time, at length, hath reach'd the happy point (Alexander / Cleopatra)

Track length0:48

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Act 2 Scene 4 No 4. Duet. Hail wedded love, mysterious law! (Alexander / Cleopatra)

Track length3:39

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Act 2 Scene 4 No 5. Chorus. Hymen, fair Urania's son (Asiates)

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Act 3 Introduction. Sinfonia

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Act 3 Scene 1 No 1. Recitative. 'Tis true, instinctive nature seldom points (Cleopatra)

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Act 3 Scene 1 No 2. Air with chorus. Here amid the shady woods (Cleopatra / Ruffians)

Track length4:17

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Act 3 Scene 2 No 1. Recitative. Ah! was it not my Cleopatra's voice? (Alexander)

Track length0:41

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Act 3 Scene 2 No 2. Air. Pow'rful guardians of all nature (Alexander)

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Act 3 Scene 2 No 3. Recitative. Treach'ry, O king, unheard of treachery (Jonathan / Alexander / Aspasia)

Track length1:23

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Act 3 Scene 2 No 4. Air. Fury, with red sparkling eyes (Alexander)

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Act 3 Scene 2 No 5. Recitative. Gods! can there be a more afflicting sight (Aspasia)

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Act 3 Scene 2 No 6. Air. Strange reverse of human fate (Aspasia)

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Act 3 Scene 2 No 7. Recitative. May he return with laurel'd victory (Jonathan)

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Act 3 Scene 2 No 8. Air. To God who made the radiant sun (Jonathan)

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Act 3 Scene 2 No 9. Chorus. Sun, moon, and stars, and all ye Host of Heav'n (Israelites)

Track length2:51

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Act 3 Scene 3 No 1. Recitative. Yes he was false, my daughter, false to you (Jonathan / Cleopatra)

Track length1:19

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Act 3 Scene 3 No 2. Accompagnato. Ungrateful child, by ev'ry sacred pow'r (Ptolomee)

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Act 3 Scene 3 No 3. Air. O sword, and thou, all-daring hand (Ptolomee)

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Act 3 Scene 4 No 1. Accompagnato. Shall Cleopatra ever smile again? (Cleopatra)

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Act 3 Scene 4 No 2. Recitative. Ungrateful tidings to the royal ear (Messenger)

Track length1:23

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Act 3 Scene 4 No 3. Air. O take me from this hateful light (Cleopatra)

Track length5:17

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Act 3 Scene 4 No 4. Recitative. Forgive, O queen, the messenger of ill! (Second messenger / Cleopatra)

Track length1:23

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Act 3 Scene 4 No 5. Accompagnato. Calm thou my soul (Cleopatra)

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Act 3 Scene 4 No 6. Air. Convey me to some peaceful shore (Cleopatra)

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Act 3 Scene 5 No 1. Recitative. Mysterious are thy ways, O Providence! (Jonathan)

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Act 3 Scene 5 No 2. Chorus with solo. Ye servants of th' eternal King (Jonathan / Israelites)

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Alexander Balus brings to completion The King's Consort's series of Handel's four 'military' oratorios (the other three being Judas Maccabaeus, The Occasional Oratorio, and Joshua). The story is a somewhat embellished retelling of chapters 10 and 11 from the first book of the Apocryphal Maccabees and involves complicated intrigues between the Jews, Syrians and Egyptians in the second century BC. To cut a long story short, Alexander Balus, King of Syria, is eventually defeated in battle by Ptolomee of Egypt and then killed by an Arab; but Ptolomee himself dies just three days later allowing Jonathan, the Chief of the Jews, to remind us of the fate of those who do not believe in the One God. Musically, Handel is at his very best in this piece. Much of the composition occurred simultaneously with that for Joshua and there is, typically, a small amount of material recycled from earlier works. The Third Act, where Cleopatra is not only told (maliciously) by her father that her beloved Alexander has been faithless, but is also then informed of his death, sees some extraordinary aria-writing, at times reminiscent of 'Dido's Lament'.

Reviews

2010

Alexander Balus has never been one of Handel's more popular oratorios. That's mainly because its plot is by modern standards lacking in drama and motivation, and accordingly doesn't call forth the vein of his music that nowadays has the strongest appeal. It's essentially a sentimental drama, in which the interest centres on the characters' emotional reactions to their situations, amatory, political and religious, and these are rather static in the first two acts but much more powerful in the more eventful third with the deaths of both Alexander and Ptolomee.
Here we have a very capable, idiomatic, sensibly cast performance under Robert King. The choruses are especially accomplished. The New College Choir, supported by men from The King's Consort Choir, is confident, brighttoned and vigorous, clean in line and well balanced.
Lynne Dawson sings beautifully in her firm and resonant soprano and her usual poised and unaffected style. Her singing of the lamenting music in the final act is particularly moving.
Cleopatra has a couple of duets, one with some attractive interplay with the secondary character Aspasia, sung with much assurance by Claron McFadden. As Alexander, Catherine Denley sings with much confidence and directness in music that isn't all of special individuality.
Jonathan is sung fluentlyand warmly, but very plainly, by Charles Daniels. Lastly there's Michael George, who's ideally suited to the villainous Ptolomee, with his forceful (but always musical) manner and the touch of blackness in his tone. The orchestral playing is accomplished, and often rather carefully shaped. The recitative moves at a steady but natural pace; ornamentation is generally modest. All Handelians will want to acquire this set, and others should not be put off by the indifferent press Alexander Balus has received from time to time.

We may be grateful that yet another glory has been restored by Robert King and his accomplished forces

Offer,Handel: Alexander Balus

2 CDs

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