Handel: Esther

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Lawrence Cummings emphasises the music's dramatic quality and generally paces it well… Rosemary Joshua in the title role sings the text as vividly as she does the notes. Christopher Purves... — BBC Music Magazine, January 2008, 3 out of 5 stars More…

Release Date: 19th Nov 2007
Catalogue No: SOMMCD2389
Label: Somm
Length: 2 hours 16 minutes

Gramophone Magazine

January 2008

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Handel: Esther

Work length2:16:47

$57.00

$74.10

Rebecca Outram, Andrew Kennedy, Cecillia Osmond, Angus Smith, Christopher Purves, Susan Bickley, London Handel Orchestra & Choir, Rosemary Joshua, James Bowman
Laurence Cummings
Recorded: 23, 25 April 2002
Recording Venue: Live recording, St. George's Church, Hanover Square, London, United Kingdom

Overture

Track length7:06

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Act I Scene 1: Breathe soft ye gales (Israelite Woman)

Track length3:44

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Act I Scene 1: Watchful angels (Israelite Woman)

Track length1:34

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Act I Scene 1: O King of kings, celestial Lord! (Esther)

Track length0:23

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Act I Scene 1: Alleluia (Esther)

Track length3:06

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Act I Scene 1: With transport, lovely queen (Mordecai)

Track length0:38

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Act I Scene 1: So much beauty sweetly blooming (Mordecai)

Track length4:16

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Act I Scene 1: Again shall Salem, to the skies (Mordecai)

Track length0:15

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Act I Scene 1: My heart is inditing (Chorus)

Track length2:43

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Act I Scene 1: King's daughter (Chorus)

Track length3:20

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Act I Scene 1: Upon the right hand (Chorus)

Track length2:58

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Act I Scene 1: Kings shall be thy nursing fathers (Chorus)

Track length3:10

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Act I Scene 2: Let me with freedom thy petition know (Ahasuerus)

Track length1:10

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Act I Scene 2: Endless fame (Ahasuerus)

Track length7:30

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Act I Scene 3: 'Tis greater far to spare (Harbonah)

Track length0:38

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Act I Scene 3: Pluck root and branch (Harman)

Track length2:06

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Act I Scene 3: Our souls with ardour glow (Officer)

Track length0:08

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Act I Scene 3: Shall we the God of Israel fear (Chorus)

Track length1:42

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Act I Scene 4: Jerusalem no more shall mourn (First Israelite)

Track length0:30

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Act I Scene 4: Tune your harps to cheerful strains (Israelite Woman)

Track length4:16

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Act I Scene 4: Shall we of servitude complain (Second Israelite)

Track length0:12

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Act I Scene 4: Praise the Lord with cheerful noise (Israelite Woman)

Track length2:34

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Act I Scene 5: How have our sins provok'd the Lord! (Mordecai)

Track length0:53

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Act I Scene 5: Ye sons of Israel, mourn (Chorus)

Track length2:16

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Act I Scene 5: O Jordan, Jordan, sacred tide! (Mordecai)

Track length8:22

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Act I Scene 5: Ye sons of Israel, mourn (Chorus)

Track length2:44

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Act II Scene 1: Tyrants may awhile presume (Chorus)

Track length2:43

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Act II Scene 2: Why sits that sorrow on thy brow? (Esther)

Track length0:51

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Act II Scene 2: Dread not, righteous Queen (Modecai)

Track length5:08

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Act II Scene 2: O heaven, protect her (Israelite Woman)

Track length0:14

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Act II Scene 2: Duet: Blessings descend on downy wings (Israelite Woman, Mordecai)

Track length4:34

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Act II Scene 2: I go, the pow'r of grief to prove (Esther)

Track length0:16

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Act II Scene 2: Tears assist me, pity moving (Esther)

Track length3:01

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Act II Scene 2: Save us, O Lord! (Chorus)

Track length1:35

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Act II Scene 3: Who dares intrude into our presence (Ahasuerus)

Track length1:11

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Act II Scene 3: Duet: Who calls my parting soul from death? (Esther, Ahasuerus)

Track length2:54

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Act II Scene 3: O beauteous queen, unclose those eyes (Ahasuerus)

Track length5:49

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Act II Scene 3: I find favour in thy sight (Esther)

Track length0:24

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Act II Scene 3: How can I stay when love invites? (Esther)

Track length3:14

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Act II Scene 4: With inward joy his visage glows (First Israelite)

Track length0:36

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Act II Scene 4: Heav'n has lent her ev'ry charm (Israelite Woman)

Track length4:36

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Act II Scene 4: The king will listen to the royal fair (First Israelite)

Track length0:13

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Act II Scene 4: Blessed are they that fear the Lord (Chorus)

Track length5:25

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Act III Scene 1: Jehovah crown'd with glory bright (Mordecai)

Track length1:34

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Act III Scene 1: He comes! He comes to end our woes (Chorus)

Track length2:00

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Act III Scene 2: Now O my queen, thy suit declare (Ahasuerus)

Track length1:25

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Act III Scene 2: Turn not, O queen, thy face away (Haman)

Track length2:27

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Act III Scene 2: Flatt'ring tongue, no more I hear thee (Esther)

Track length4:33

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Act III Scene 2: Guards, seize the traitor (Ahasuerus)

Track length0:26

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Act III Scene 2: Through the nation he shall be (Ahasuerus)

Track length1:43

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Act III Scene 2: All applauding crowds, around (Chorus)

Track length0:51

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Act III Scene 2: How art thou fall'n from thy height! (Haman)

Track length2:46

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Act III Scene 2: Duet: I'll proclaim the wond'rous story (Esther, Israelite Woman)

Track length2:48

$1.00

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Act III Scene 3: The Lord our enemy has slain, Allelujah! (Chorus)

Track length5:16

$1.00

$1.30

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A world premiere recording of Handel’s Oratorio “Esther” to be released in the 1732 revised version

Reviews

January 2008

Lawrence Cummings emphasises the music's dramatic quality and generally paces it well… Rosemary Joshua in the title role sings the text as vividly as she does the notes. Christopher Purves is striking as the genocidal Haman.

2010

This is a particularly welcome and important world-premiere recording. Handel composed Esther in about 1718-20 for James Brydges, the Earl of Carnarvon (and later Duke of Chandos), using a libretto that was anonymously adapted from Thomas Brereton's English translation of a play by Racine. This slender work, containing only six scenes, lays a strong claim to being the first English oratorio, but Handel seems not to have considered performing it for a public audience until 1732, when the entrepreneurial composer thoroughly revised the score to fit his company of Italian opera singers (including Senesino, Strada and Montagnana, who all sang in English), and enlisted the aid of the writer Samuel Humphreys to expand the drama with additional scenes. This is the historic version of Esther that launched Handel's oratorio career in London, but it has remained inexplicably neglected in modern times.
Laurence Cummings is one of our finest and most natural Handelian conductors. The Israelite Woman's sensuous opening number 'Breathe soft, ye gales' (featuring recorders, oboes, bassoons, harp, theorbo, five-part strings and organ) is neatly judged by the impressive London Handel Orchestra. The superb choir is enthusiastic and masterful, and the two inserted Coronation Anthems My heart is inditing and Zadok the Priest (the latter given a parody text) are both performed magnificently. James Bowman sounds a little fragile in the most extensive coloratura passages written for Senesino in 'Endless fame', and the part of Mordecai seems uncomfortably low for Susan Bickley (which is not helped by the dragging speed of 'Dread not, righteous Queen, the danger'), but in general the soloists form a consistently solid team.
Christopher Purves is marvellous as the scheming and bullying evil minister Haman, and is equally good at singing the pitiful and lyrical 'Turn not, O Queen, thy face away' when the villain fears his deserved doom.
The all-round excellence of this live concert performance from Handel's parish church, St George's, Hanover Square, makes it an essential treat for Handelians.

Handelians will be flocking to this one, but so should everybody. The first of two Rosemary Joshua Handel outings this month (see Semele, below) is also a world premiere. A remarkable job of musical excavation has given us Handel’s second version of Esther, the oratorio that made his name in London. An exciting, important and touching recording.

Janurary 2008

The all-round excellence of this live concert performance from Handel's parish church, St George's, Hanover Square, makes it an essential treat for Handelians.

Offer,Handel: Esther

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