Handel's Samson presented by the Sydney Philharmonia Choirs
Date: Saturday 8 April 2023, 7pm
Venue: Sydney Opera House, Concert Hall
Raise the roof, bring down the temple - with Handel's mightiest oratorio!
Samson, Judge of Israel, married a Philistine woman, Dalila, who discovered that his supernatural strength derived from his never cutting his hair. Dalila shore his hair while he was sleeping and betrayed him to her people, the Philistines, enemy of the Israelites. The Philistines captured Samson and put his eyes out.
In “Let the Bright Seraphim,” an Israelite woman calls upon heavenly hosts to commemorate Samson's heroic death and triumph over the Philistines. The piece is an example of the archetypal genre of Baroque vocal music, the da capo aria.
"Let the bright Seraphim in
burning row their loud uplifted
angel-trumpets blow.
Let the cherubic host, in tuneful
choir, touch their immortal
harps with golden wire.
Let the bright Seraphim in
burning row their loud uplifted
angel-trumpets blow."
Hot on the heels of Messiah, Handel embarked on another masterpiece: a new oratorio on the story of Samson, the Bible’s original muscle man. Samson was composed shortly after Handel's most famous work Messiah and consolidates the German composer's turn from Italian opera to the development of the English oratorio.This is Biblical drama at its very best – vividly imagined music composed with the finest actor-singers in mind, an opera in all but name.
Handel plunges into the action: we meet Samson, already shorn and blinded, living in a “total eclipse”, a broken prisoner of the Philistines. And over three acts, the music traces a psychological drama that ends with the destruction of the temple and the hero’s ultimate redemption. This great but all too rarely performed oratorio shows Handel’s gift for musical characterisation with rousing choruses for devout Israelites and decadent Philistines, and exquisite arias, ranging from Dalila’s alluring music to the rejoicing sounds of “Let the bright Seraphim”, the much-loved highlight.
For Samson, Sydney Philharmonia Choirs' Symphony Chorus, some favourite soloists and a massive orchestra (by baroque standards) will unite under the baton of Maestro Brett Weymark to bring the theatre into the concert hall.
Saturday 8 April 2023 at 1pm
Sydney Opera House Concert Hall
Running Time: This performance will run for 3 hours including one 20-minute interval.
PROGRAM
Deborah Cheetham Fraillon & Matthew Doyle Tarimi Nulay - Long time living here*
George Frideric HANDEL Samson
* Commissioned for SPC's 100 Minutes of New Australian Music project
ARTISTS
Brett Weymark conductor
Alexander Lewis tenor (Samson)
Celeste Lazarenko soprano (Israelite Woman, Dalila)
Russell Harcourt countertenor (Micah)
Christopher Richardson bass‑baritone (Manoa)
Andrew O’Connor bass (Harapha)
Symphony Chorus
Sydney Philharmonia Orchestra
Tickets:
Premium $129 | A $105 | B $85 | C $60 | D $45
Concessions $116 | A $92| B $75 | C $55 | D $41
Under 30 $30
A booking fee of $8.95 per transaction applies.
Reviews:
Great Praise for Samson. ClassikON. by | Apr 9, 2023 | Ambassador thoughts, Choirs, Music Directors & Conductors, Orchestras
Related Links:
Dame Kiri Te Kanawa sings Handel's "Let the Bright Seraphim". YouTube, uploaded byDame Kiri Lover. Accessed March 24, 2023.
Handel Oratorio Samson. Inspired Pen Web. Accessed March 24, 2023.
Video Credit:
2023 Handel's Samson V1 - YouTube. 2023 Season, Sydney Philharmonia Choirs. Accessed March 24, 2023.
2023 Handel's Samson V2 - YouTube. 2023 Season, Sydney Philharmonia Choirs. Accessed March 24, 2023.
Resources:
Brett Weymark Conducts HANDEL'S SAMSON at the Sydney Opera House Concert Hall. Broadway World. Accessed March 24, 2023.
Handel's Samson. Sydney Philharmonia Choirs. Accessed MArch 24, 2023
Sydney Philharmonia Choirs' 2023 Season Catalogue.
COVID-19 SAFETY AT SPC CONCERTS
Up-to-date COVID guidelines will be available a few weeks before the concert. SPC regularly update their guidelines based on health directives from NSW Government & the Sydney Opera House.
(c) March 24, 2023. Tel. Inspired Pen Web. All rights reserved.
No comments:
Post a Comment