Jephtha !

[Amalie]

Handel's Jephtha will be performed at the Coliseum in London, during May and June, this year,,,,, I don't think I have heard this work before,, it is supposed to be a stunning masterpiece. Mark Padmore and Susan Bickley are among the stars.
I was wondering whether anyone of our members have heard it and would recommend it. It sounds irresistable !



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~ Courage, so it be righteous, will gain all things ~

[Rod]

Originally posted by Amalie:

Handel's Jephtha will be performed at the Coliseum in London, during May and June, this year,,,,, I don't think I have heard this work before,, it is supposed to be a stunning masterpiece. Mark Padmore and Susan Bickley are among the stars.
I was wondering whether anyone of our members have heard it and would recommend it. It sounds irresistable !

This is Handel's penultimate oratorio, a grand three act piece in Handel's etherial late style. Some regard it as his best so that indicates something about its quality. I posted some tracks some time ago at my Handel site (see my profile here for the url), pity it seems you missed them, but you can still find the libretto there.

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"If I were but of noble birth..." - Rod Corkin


[This message has been edited by Rod (edited 05-07-2005).]

[Amalie]

Originally posted by Rod:
This is Handel's penultimate oratorio, a grand three act piece in Handel's etherial late style. Some regard it as his best so that indicates something about its quality. I posted some tracks some time ago at my Handel site, pity is seems you missed them, but you can still find the libretto there.

Thankyou Rod,
I printed off the Libretto, it sounds wonderful,,, I left a message for you over on your Handel site. Thought I would catch you here also. I just know I shall enjoy this performance !


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~ Courage, so it be righteous, will gain all things ~


[This message has been edited by Amalie (edited 05-07-2005).]

[Amalie]

We changed the date for seeing Handel's Oratorio, 'JEPHTHA' and saw it last night.
at the Coliseum.
I recommend it, it is a very good production. Of particular note , the excellent counter tenor, Robin Blaze, who took that part of Hamor, who was Iphis's betrothed, but their marriage was abandoned because of the vow her father Jephtha gave.
The duet's sung by Iphis, and Hamor, were truly beautuful in a way that is all Handel and really no one can imitate.
Handel knew his bible inside out of course, and the parallel's with the new testament sacrifice of Christ are strong as Jephtha resolves to carry out the immolation of his only child, Iphis.

The Angel was a bit incongruous in that she was wearing black with white wings, but she did possess a beautiful voice.


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~ Courage, so it be righteous, will gain all things ~



[This message has been edited by Amalie (edited 05-16-2005).]

[Rod]

Originally posted by Amalie:
We changed the date for seeing Handel's Oratorio, 'JEPHTHA' and saw it last night.
at the Coliseum.
I recommend it, it is a very good production. Of particular note , the excellent counter tenor, Robin Blaze, who took that part of Hamor, who was Iphis's betrothed, but their marriage was abandoned because of the vow her father Jephtha gave.
The duet's sung by Iphis, and Hamor, were truly beautuful in a way that is all Handel and really no one can imitate.
Handel knew his bible inside out of course, and the parallel's with the new testament sacrifice of Christ are strong as Jephtha resolves to carry out the immolation of his only child, Iphis.

The Angel was a bit incongruous in that she was wearing black with white wings, but she did possess a beautiful voice.

Of course Handel would have known the ending of the oratorio where the Angel comes down and saves the day at the last minute is an invention and not how things happened in the bible, I think she ended up dead because of her father's 'pact' with god!

But do you thing this music is on a par with messiah?


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"If I were but of noble birth..." - Rod Corkin

[This message has been edited by Rod (edited 05-16-2005).]

[Amalie]

Originally posted by Rod:
Of course Handel would have known the ending of the oratorio where the Angel comes down and saves the day at the last minute is an invention and not how things happened in the bible, I think she ended up dead because of her father's 'pact' with god!

But do you thing this music is on a par with messiah?

Well, Jephtha in many ways is a charming Oratorio , though the story is a rather forbidding, it is not in the same rank as the Messiah.

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~ Courage, so it be righteous, will gain all things ~

[This message has been edited by Amalie (edited 05-17-2005).]

[Rod]

Originally posted by Amalie:
Well, Jephtha in many ways is a charming Oratorio , though the story is a rather forbidding, it is not in the same rank as the Messiah.

Charming oratorio? In many ways it is musically more sophisicated than Messiah. It seems likely this performance was under par (did they use a baroque orchestra?) or you need to hear the music a few times more. Few Handel specialists regard Messiah as Handel's greatest work, and yet Messiah is unsurpassed as an oratorio by anyone else.

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"If I were but of noble birth..." - Rod Corkin



[This message has been edited by Rod (edited 05-17-2005).]

[Rod]

PS Amalie can you tell me how long it lasted!?

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"If I were but of noble birth..." - Rod Corkin

[Amalie]

Originally posted by Rod:
PS Amalie can you tell me how long it lasted!?

The sacred drama lasted just over 3 hours with 2 intervals. So two tubs of icecream

The First performance of Jephtha was given at te Theatre Royal, Covent Garden, London.
on 26th February 1752.
[Price One Shilling ]


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~ Courage, so it be righteous, will gain all things ~


[This message has been edited by Amalie (edited 05-21-2005).]

[Rod]

Originally posted by Amalie:
The sacred drama lasted just over 3 hours with 2 intervals. So two tubs of icecream

The First performance of Jephtha was given at te Theatre Royal, Covent Garden, London.
on 26th February 1752.
[Price One Shilling ]

I suspect one Shilling would barely pay for a teaspoon full of your icecream now. But at least they did keep to the three act layout. What has become popular with long three act works, certainly Handel operas, is that they split the 3 act work into 2 by having just one break in the middle of the second act!!! I have such a performance on DVD (Agrippina performed in Paris) but I think the idea is ridiculous - if it takes 4 or 5 hours so be it!


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"If I were but of noble birth..." - Rod Corkin