George Frideric Handel - Israel in Egypt (Gardiner) [1992]

1. Ov: Lamentations of the Israelites for the death of Joseph - Gardiner/Monteverdi Orch
2. 1. Now here arose - P. Elliott
3. 2. And the children of Isreal sighed by reason of the bondage: And their cry... 
- C. Royall/Monteveri Chor
4. 3. Then he sent Moses - P. Elliott
5. 4. They loathed to drink
6. 5. Thier land brought - A. Stafford
7. 6. He spake the word
8. 7. He gave them hailstones
9. 8. He sent a thick darkness
10. 9. He smote all the first-born
11. 10. But as for His people
12. 11. Egypt was glad
13. 12. He rubuked the Red Sea
14. 13. He led them
15. 14. But the waters
16. 15. And Isreal saw
17. 16. And believed the Lord
18. 17. Moses & the children
19. 18. I will sing
20. 19. The Lord is my strength - J. Knibbs/M. Troth
21. 20. He is my God
22. 21. I will exault him
23. 22. The Lord is a man of war - S. Varcoe/C. Stewart
24. 23. The depths have covered them
25. 24. Thy right hand
26. 25. And in the greatness
27. 26. Thou sentest forth
28. 27. ANd with the blast
29. 28. The enemy said - W. Kendall
30. 29. Thou didst blow - D. Greene
31. 30. Who is like unto Thee
32. 31. The earth swallowed them
33. 32. Thou is thy mercy - B. Gordon/P. Elliott
34. 33. The people shall hear
35. 34. Thou shalt bring - J. Clarkson
36. 35. The Lord shall reign
37. 36. For the horse of Pharoah - P. Elliott
38. 37. The Lord shall reign
39. 38. And Miriam the prophetess - P. Elliott
40. 39. Sing ye to the Lord, for he hath triumphed gloriously!/The Lord shall reign...
- E. Priday/Monterverdi Chor

Charles Brett - Counter Tenor 
Norma Burrowes - Soprano 
J. Clarkson - Counter Tenor 
Paul Elliott - Tenor 
B. Gordon - Counter Tenor 
D. Greene - Soprano 
Malcolm Hicks 	Organ
Martyn Hill - Tenor 
William Kendall - Tenor 
Jean Knibbs - Soprano 
M. Lewin - Theorbo
Elisabeth Priday - Soprano 
Alistair Ross - Harpsichord
Christopher Royall - Counter Tenor 
Marilyn Sansom - Cello
Ashley Stafford 	- Counter Tenor 
Charles Stewart - Bass
Maryilyn Troth - Soprano 
Stephen Varcoe - Bass 
Monteverdi Choir 	
Monteverdi-Orchester München
John Eliot Gardiner - Conductor

The music of George Frideric Handel has accompanied John Eliot Gardiner throughout his career. Many operas, oratorios and other vocal works as well as music for orchestra have been recorded by him since the 1970s. Warner Classics has reissued some of these in this box. It is a strangely mixed package, which seems to be put together haphazardly. What is the connection between the Concerti grossi opus 3 and the vocal items? It seems to me a rather unhappy decision to put together recordings which are stylistically so different: the concerti grossi are played on period instruments, whereas the vocal items are performed with the Monteverdi Orchestra, which uses modern instruments.

A box with the vocal items only would have made much more sense, as in all of them the choir plays the main role. The fact that the oratorio Israel in Egypt mainly consists of choruses was one of the reasons the first performance in 1739 failed to captivate audiences. Originally it was written in three parts, but for the second performance Handel dropped the first part. It is the revised two-part version which is most often recorded nowadays, and that is how it is performed here.

The first part is very dramatic in its vivid description of the exodus of the Jews from Egypt. The texts are mainly from the book of Exodus as well as Psalms 105 and 106. In the orchestral parts Handel illustrates the plagues which afflict the Egyptian people. The second part, Moses' song, is a setting of the song Moses wrote and sang after he had led his people through the Red Sea and after the Egyptian army had been swallowed up by the waters.

I wonder if John Eliot Gardiner would be very happy with the reissue of his recording of Israel in Egypt, in particular since he has recorded it again later with the English Baroque Soloists on period instruments. It has to be said, though, that the use of modern instruments in his first recording is not the main problem. It is rather the lack of drama which makes it difficult to see how this performance could compete with more recent recordings. Some choruses are done pretty well, but others are tame, and the illustration of the plagues in the instrumental parts is seldom fully explored by the orchestra. Among the soloists only the tenors and basses are worth listening to. The sopranos are weak and produce an old-fashioned wobble, whereas the altos are too colourless.

The original first part of Israel in Egypt, 'The Lamentation of the Israelites for the death of Joseph', was an adaptation of the Funeral Anthem for Queen Caroline, 'The Ways of Zion do mourn', which Handel composed in 1737. This is a lament on the death of Queen Caroline on texts from the Bible, in particular the book of Job and the Lamentations of Jeremiah. ---Johan van Veen, www.musicweb-international.com

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