Sydney Philharmonia Choirs - Handel's SAMSON

Choral Singing / Musicals

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.

Image: Conductor Brett Weymark, soloists, Symphony Chorus, and the Sydney Philharmonic Orchestra in this very special Easter weekend matinee concert.  

 

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 Daniel Kaan | Apr 9, 2023 | Ambassador thoughts, Choirs, Music Directors & Conductors, Orchestras

Handel’s Samson Sydney Philharmonia Choir. Opera House Concert Hall. April 8, 2023. The Sydney Morning Herald.  Reviewed by Peter  McCallum. ★★★★  Reviewed alongside other performances.

 

Handel’s Samson: A music review by Shirley Politzer. J-Wire. April 10, 2023 by Shirley Politzer

 

Samson (Sydney Philharmonia Choirs).  Sydney Philharmonia Choirs celebrates a significant milestone with blazing performance of Handel's Samson, with soloists and choir on top form.  Concert Hall, Sydney Opera House.  ★★★★★  Reviewed on 8 April, 2023  by Steve Moffatt on 10 April, 2023

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.

Sydney Philharmonia Choirs - Mendelssohn's Oratorio Elijah

Choral Singing / Oratorio

Due to COVID-19, like all performances in Performing Arts this concert has had its share of cancellations: first, for its May 9, 2020 at 3pm, for September 11, 2021 at 3pm, and then again, for December 16, 2021 at 7pm.

Mendelssohn's Elijah presented by the Sydney Philharmonia Festival Chorus

Date:  Thursday 16 December 2021 at 7pm (cancelled due to COVID related-reasons)
Venue: Centennial Hall, Sydney Town Hall

In Elijah, Mendelssohn combines the majestic tradition of Handel and the worshipful spirit of Bach with his own Romantic style.  

Elijah, Op. 70, MWV A 25, is an oratorio by Felix Mendelssohn depicting events in the life of the Prophet Elijah as told in the books 1 Kings and 2 Kings of the Old Testament. It premiered in 1846 at the Birmingham Festival. When Mendelssohn’s Elijah received its triumphant premiere at this festival there were more than a hundred musicians in the orchestra and several hundred singers in the choir. This is choral music on a grand scale, and the Sydney Philharmonia Choirs  will do it justice with the imposing sound of the 400-voice Festival Chorus and the perfect Victorian-era ambience of the Sydney Town Hall.

Based on an Old Testament story (earthquake! fire! and the “still small voice”), Elijah combines the majestic tradition of Handel and the worshipful spirit of Bach with Mendelssohn’s own Romantic style. The result is a thrilling musical picture of “a grand and mighty prophet…borne on the wings of angels”.

But, as conductor Brett Weymark points out, Elijah was also a complex personality and in some ways a “very difficult man”. Mendelssohn himself saw him as “energetic and zealous, but also stern, wrathful and gloomy.”

Sydney Philharmonia has no recorded video of this oratorio. Instead, below, I'm sharing this superb performance of Mendelssohn's Elijah, Op.70, MWV A25 / Part 1 - "Thanks be to God" excerpt performed by the Edinburgh Festival Chorus · Stephen Doughty · Orchestra of The Age of Enlightenment · Paul Daniel. Provided to YouTube by Universal Music Group. Accessed March 25, 2020. 



"Thanks be to God!"

Thanks be to God, He laveth the thirsty land. 
The waters gather, they rush along! 
They are lifting their voices! 
The stormy billows are high; their fury is mighty. 
But the Lord is above them, and Almighty!

JS Bach's St. John Passion

Classical Music / Sacred Music  

Johann Sebastian Bach's St. John Passion: facts, the cast, brief history, and other related information.

Johann Sebastian Bach, a Protestant German composer of the Baroque era, composed St. John Passion (Passio secundum Johannem). With interspersed chorales and arias, the gospel of St. John (Chapters 18 and 19) from the Holy Scriptures is set to music.  

Facts about St. John Passion

Composer: Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) 

Original Title: Passio secundum Johannem

Original Language: German

Text: From the Gospel of St. John, Chapters 18 and 19; in addition, excerpts from Barthold Heinrich Brockes's poem "Jesus Martyred and Dying for the sins of the world" (1715.)

Form: In two parts, including a total of 40 musical numbers (68 according to the old numbering system).  

Date of Writing: Anhalt-Kothen, 1722-1723; revised in 1725, around 1730, and then again, around 1739.  

First Performance: April 7, 1724, performed as part of Good Friday liturgy in the church of St. Nicholas in Leipzig, and not as a concert.  

Brief History of Bach's St Matthew Passion

The St. John Passion seems to have been the first work of its kind composed by Bach. An earlier St. Luke Passion, presented under his name, has since turned out to be fairly certainly spurious. Bach, exceptionally receptive to other musicians' cocmpostiions, probably performed this rather weak work and for that purpose copied it out. However, the view that there were, in addition to the St. John and St. Matthew Passions, two other Bach works in this genre stubbornly persists, but thteyu are thought to have been lost.

When Bach was certain that he had obtained the position in Leipzig and would soon begin his work there, he began to compose the St. John Passion while still in Kothen. He could not find a suitable libretto so he wrote one himself, using the text of the Gospel according to St. John, and adding some excerpts by the poet and town councilor of Hamburg, Barthold Heinrich Brockes. It's not easily explained why JS Bach chose to compose this Passion upon assuming his new office.

Generally, Bach's St. Matthew Passion is preferred than his setting of this Passion, although contrary opinions have been voiced, like that of Robert Schumann. 

Brief Synopsis of St. John Passion

This work tells the story of the capture of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, a place frequented by him and his disciples; his being interrogated by Annas, a brother-in-law of the High-Priest Caiphas; his being handed over to Caiphas and then to the Roman governor Pilate, who was convinced that Jesus had committed no crime; the insistence of the Jews that Jesus be condemned to death because he had called himself their "king;" of his crucifixion and death; his removal from the cross by Joseph of Arimathea and the hasty burial due to the approaching Sabbath.

Below, JS Bach St. John Passion BWV 245.  (New Recording). Stephen Cleobury and the Choir of King’s College, Cambridge are joined by the Academy of Ancient Music in Bach’s much-loved St John Passion. Captured live in 2016 during Easter celebrations at the College, it features an all-star line-up of soloists who are renowned for their handling of the repertoire, including King’s alumnus James Gilchrist as the Evangelist and Neal Davies, Cardiff Singer of the World prize winner, as Jesus. Accessed July 26, 2020.

Orchestration: two flutes, two oboes, oboe d'amore, two oboes da caccia, viola da gamba, two violas d'amore, viola da gamba, strings, continuo with cello, bassoon, contrabass, organ or harpsichord.    


The Cast of Characters of St Matthew Passion  

Evangelist (tenor)

Jesus (bass)

Peter (bass)

Pilate (bass)

Four solo voices (soprano, alto, tenor, bass),

Four-part mixed chorus

Orchestra.

Trivia:  Our Sydney Philharmonia Choirs (Symphony Chorus, Chamber Singers and Sydney Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra) will be performing Bach's St. John Passion Re-Imagined, with Brett Weymark conducting. Artists: Richard Butler (Evangelist), Andrew O'Connor (Christus), Celeste Lazarenko (Soprano), Anna Dowsley (Mezzo -Soprano), Brenton Spiteri (Tenor), David Greco (Bass). Saturday, 11 April 2020 at 3pm, Sydney Town Hall.  (Note: Sadly, this concert has been cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic. / Tel, March 24, 2020.)  

Bach Resources:

www.jsbach.net
JS Bach Biography  Biography.com

Suggested Recording:  

Bach-Handel Recitals

LPO, Sir Adrian Boult

Kathleen Ferrier

Historic Performances , recreated in Stereo, Decca

(Note: I first published this piece for Suite101.com, 19 March 2008. It's been re-printed in abridged form for this post. / Tel.) 

(c) March 21, 2010.  Updated February 25, 2020. Tel. Inspired Pen Web. All rights reserved.     

Sydney Philharmonia Choirs - Handel's Messiah 2019

Handel’s greatest and most loved choral masterpiece sung by more than 600 voices at the Sydney Opera House. Brett Weymark conducts the Sydney Philharmonia Choirs for three concert events for the festive season.

Handel's Messiah has become a biennial fixture in the Sydney Philharmonia concert calendar and has yet to wear out its welcome – a sure sign of a masterpiece. But 2019 marks our final performance of Messiah in the Sydney Opera House Concert Hall before it closes for renovations, so join us for one ‘last hallelujah’ in what promises to be our most rousing performance yet!




Handel’s Messiah emerged from the white heat of inspiration – an astonishing creative act, completed in just 24 days. The story goes that G.F. Handel finished the Hallelujah Chorus in tears, saying ‘I think I did see all Heaven before me, and the great God himself!’ And since its first triumphant performances in Dublin in 1742 it has inspired listeners with the power and unity of its music, and its impressive portrayal of the text. Despite containing almost no storytelling, this is an oratorio that is carried by its intrinsic drama.

Sydney Philharmonia Choirs' Haydn The Creation

Choral Singing / Oratorio

Haydn's The Creation presented by the Sydney Philharmonia Festival Chorus

Date: Saturday 26 May 2018 at 5pm
Venue: Centennial Hall, Sydney Town Hall

Joseph Haydn’s visionary masterpiece depicts nothing less than the creation of the universe, in music of sublime imagination and power.


Haydn, renowned for his innovative symphonies in London, was inspired by Handel’s example to try his hand at the oratorio – but on a scale never before seen. Searching for a subject, a friend apparently pointed at a Bible and said, “Take that, and begin at the beginning.” The Creation therefore begins with a seething and dissonant depiction of chaos before light bursts out in a radiant C major affirmation of balance and order. In the stunning sequence of arias and choruses that follows we meet larks, whales, angels, tigers and the first people. Haydn’s perfectly-judged music evokes all of the events of Genesis with a winning blend of humour and sophistication – all lowing oxen and angelic choirs – that made it an overnight success, aided by being released simultaneously in both English and German.






The Creation has remained a much-anticipated highlight of choral seasons ever since, a delight to hear and to sing, resplendent with Classical optimism, grace and grandeur. As befits this expansive and festive work, the Sydney Philharmonia Festival Chorus and The Metropolitan Orchestra perform in the ornate splendour of Centennial Hall at Sydney Town Hall, with soloists led by luminous award-winning soprano Taryn Fiebig, tenor Nicholas Jones, and bass Arthur Judd.


"The Heavens are Telling!"
The heavens are telling the glory of God! 
The wonder of His works displays the firmament ...

Mendelssohn's Oratorio Elijah, Op. 70

Choral Music / Sacred Music / Oratorio

Considered his best work, at par with Haydn's The Creation

Felix Mendelssohn's oratorio Elijah, op.70: facts, the cast, brief history, and other Mendelssohn-related information.

Oratorio Elijah is considered the greatest work of Romantic composer Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy in this genre. 

Facts about Oratorio Elijah

Composer: Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy (1809-1847), a German composer of the Romantic era, born in Hamburg, Germany. 

Original Title: Elias (Elijah, at the first performance)

Original Language: German (English, at the first performance)

Text: Based on the Holy Bible passages, the story of Elijah from the Books of Kings, compiled by Mendelssohn himself. He was assisted by Julius Schubring and Karl Klingemann.

Form: Oratorio in Two Parts, a total of 42 musical numbers, with an introduction and overture . 

Date of Writing: 1845-1846.

First Performance: August 26, 1846, in Birmingham. Mendelssohn conducted with the world-famous Jenny Lind in the soprano role. 


(Note: Watch in YouTube to enjoy the entire oratorio playlist.)


Mendelssohn's Oratorio ELIJAH, Op. 70. 

The Cast

The Widow (soprano)

The Youth (soprano)

The Angel (soprano)

Another Angel (alto)

Jezebel, the Queen, (alto)

Obadiah (tenor)

Ahab, King of Israel (tenor)

Elijah, the Prophet (bass)

Four-part mixed chorus

Orchestra: Flutes, clarinets, bassoons, oboes, horns, trumpets, trombones, timpani, strings, one bass tuba.

Haydn's Oratorio The Seasons

Choral Singing / Oratorio

Oratorio The Seasons ('Die Jahreszeiten') followed Haydn's earlier masterpiece, The Creation

Franz Joseph Haydn's oratorio 'The Seasons' ('Die Jahreszeiten): facts, the cast, brief history, and other Haydn-related information.

The Seasons followed Haydn's greatest work The Creation, both oratorios based after a Handel model instead of the traditional Italian oratorio. 

Facts about The Seasons:

Composer: (Franz) Joseph Haydn (1732-1809), an Austrian composer born in Rohrau, Austria. 

Original Title: Die Jahreszeiten

Original Language: German

Text: Gottfried van Swieten (Baron von Swieten), Austrian patron of the Arts. The words are based on the English poem The Seasons by James Thomson.      

Form: Four parts: Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter – a total of 44 musical numbers.

Date of Writing: 1799-1801.

First Performance: Vienna, in the palace of Prince Schwarzenberg, April 24, 1801.

Haydn's "The Seasons" performed by Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Howard Arman.   Felicitas Fuchs, soprano. Andrew Staples, tenor. Reinhard Hagen, bass.  MDR Radio Choir of Leipzig.




Here's another link:  With Herbert von Karajan conducting  the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra:  Haydn's "The Seasons" in German. Soloists: G. Janowitz, W. Hollweg. 

The Oratorio's Cast:

Simon, a tenant farmer (bass)

Hanne, his daughter (soprano)

Lucas, a young peasant (tenor)

The oratorio is a four-part mixed chorus

The Orchestra: Flutes, clarinets, bassoons, contrabassoons, oboes, horns, trumpets, trombones, timpani, strings, continuo with cello and harpsichord.

Brief History of The Seasons:

The Seasons followed the path of its predecessor, Haydn's most successful oratorio The Creation and therefore it can be deduced that whether van Swieten talked Haydn into producing this succeeding oratorio or not is immaterial. Haydn was enjoying extreme  respect and admiration from people after "The Creation." On the other hand, the maestro was now 67 years old.

Haydn's popularity as an instrumental composer went quickly far and wide. From all the great joy that "The Creation" brought him, "The Seasons" took on. One again, the text of the composition was arranged by Gottfried can Swieten, who also had great influence on the younger Mozart. A highly cultured Viennese patron of the arts, van Swieten once again produced a text to make the best use of Haydn's talents and make it another masterpiece.   

Prominent aristocrats guaranteed the best conditions, an honorarium at the same time oversee the production premiere.

The premiere on April 24, 1801 was an enormous success, and immediately two more performances followed on 29^th of April and 1^st of May. The audience was enrapt with the highest accolade for the wearying but elated composer. He gave his all for this oratorio and felt that it was his last.

Haydn said about the effect of "The Seasons" (The World of the Oratorio by Kurt Pahlen, Scolar Press, 1990):

"… I had to struggle for days at a time with the smallest details."       

Brief Synopsis of The Seasons:

The theme of the seasons is an obvious one, the normal season changes of the year – spring, summer, autumn, winter. Other composers have tried the idea including baroque composers Vivaldi and Telemann. Vivaldi's violin concerto cycle Le Quattro Stagioni (The Four Seasons) is extremely popular to date.

The oratorio has four parts:

Spring

Summer

Autumn

Winter

with a total of 44 musical numbers.

The character Simon, the farmer, observes the stuggle between the elements – starting from spring (as when Hanne feels the first gentle winds of spring) to the harsh winter (destroying blossoms and sprouts.) – a symbol for the passing of life.  

Between the main melody and its repetition at the conclusion, a splendid and enchanting exchange between the voices (male and female) is used.

However, The Seasons doesn't end in melancholy, as expressed by the chorus and the soloists, but that of greatest and deepest joy, signifying an acceptance of the human life.

Other Famous Oratorios:

Bach's St Matthew Passion
Handel's Israel in Egypt

Handel's Messiah
Handel's Saul 

Haydn'sThe Creation

Mendelssohn's Elijah

Mendelssohn's St Paul 

Resource:

The World of Oratorio by Kurt Pahlen (1990)

Note:  I originally wrote this piece for Suite101.com, 10 October 2007.  This is a shorter piece. /Tel  

2007-2014.  Tel Asiado.  Inspired Pen Web.  All rights reserved. 

Berlioz Oratorio The Childhood of Christ

Nativity oratorio by Hector Berlioz: oratorio's brief history, cast of characters, and synopsis.

The Childhood of Christ  is a sacred oratorio composed by French composer Hector Berlioz who also wrote the text himself. The original language was in French with the title "L'Enfance du Christ," Trilogie sacrée, Op. 25.

Writing of the piece started in 1850 with "La Fuite en Egypte" (The Flight into Egypt.) It continued in 1853 with "L'Arivée à Sais" (The Arrival at Sais) and only completed after a year with "Le Songe d'Hérode" (Herod's Dream).




 

Video Credit: 

Berlioz : L’Enfance du Christ (the Childhood of Christ). The Orchestre National de France conducted by James Conlon performs “ l’Enfance du Christ “ composed by Hector Berlioz, with François Lis ( Herode), Stéphane Degout (Joseph), Stéphanie d’Oustrac (Marie), Nahuet di Pierro (Polydorus) and Jérémy Ovenden (narrator). Concert tribute to Sir Colin Davis. 2:36 Part 1 Le songe d’Hérode (Herod’s Dream) 44:00 Part 2 La fuite en Egypte (The Flight to Egypt) 01:00:15 Part 3 L’arrivée à Saïs (The arrival at Sais). YouTube, uploaded by France Musique. Accesssed December 12, 2020.

Image credit:

CD Cover: Berlioz "L'enfance du Christ" MUNCH RCA Shaded Dog 1957 LM-6053 NM Red Seal. 

 

(c) December 2013. Updated December 12, 2020.  Tel. Inspired Pen Web. All rights reserved. 

Elgar Oratorio The Dream of Gerontius

Classical Music / Oratorio 

 
 

Considered to be Elgar's masterpiece, The Dream of Gerontius, was first performed at Birmingham Festival conducted by Hans Richter.


The Dream of Gerontius, popularly called Gerontius, is an oratorio (Opus 38) composed by Edward Elgar in 1900, to text from the poem by Cardinal John Henry Newman.  It relates the journey of a pious man's soul from his deathbed to his judgment before God and settling into Purgatory. It is widely regarded as the finest choral work of Sir Edward Elgar.  The first performance took place on October 3, 1900, in Birmingham Town Hall.

 Link: The Dream of Gerontius Op 38, conducted by John Barbirolli, with Janet Baker, mezzo-soprano (The Angel); Richard Lewis, tenor (Gerontius, Soul of Gerontius); Kim Borg, bass (The Priest, The Angel of Agony); The combined Hallé Choir and Sheffild Philharmonic Chorus (chorus master: Eric Chadwick); Ambrosian Singers (chorus master: John McCarthy); Hallé Orchestra, leader: Martin Milner. 1965.

 

 

 

Below, a performance of Elgar's The Dream of Gerontius, live from the BBC Proms, 24th July 2005. Halle Orchestra conducted by Mark Elder Allice Coote (Mezzo-soprano) Paul Groves (Tenor) Matthew Best (Bass) Halle Choir London Philharmonic Choir Halle Youth Choir.

Haydn's Oratorio The Creation

Sacred Music / Oratorio

 

 

Oratorio 'Die Schöpfung' considered the greatest work of Haydn

Franz Joseph Haydn's masterpiece, oratorio 'The Creation': facts, the cast, brief history, and other Haydn-related information. 

Haydn said of the time he was at work on this enormous composition, (The World of the Oratorio by Kurt Pahlen, Scolar Press, 1990):

"Never had I been so devout as when I was composing The Creation. Everyday I fell to my knees and prayed to God to give me strength for my work."      


"The heavens are telling the glory of God,
the wonder of his work displays the firmament.
To-day that is coming, speaks it the day,
the night that is gone, to following night.
The heavens are telling the glory of God,
the wonder of his work displays the firmament.
In all the lands resounds the word,
never unperceived, ever understood.
The heavens are telling the glory of God,
the wonder of his work displays the firmament."
~ The Heavens are Telling, from Haydn's "The Creation"~

Video: F.J. Haydn - "The heavens are telling"〈The Creation〉Oratorio / Christopher Hogwood. YouTube, uploaded by Protestant7 (Baroque music). Accessed April 30, 2013. 

In his last years, Franz Joseph Haydn created his masterpiece the oratorio The Creation. The Austrian classical composer expressed his vision of the creation, as told in the Holy Bible and John Milton's poem Paradise Lost.

 

The Creation is considered Joseph Haydn's greatest work. He spent relentlessly working on it just before the turn of the 19th century.

 

The CREATION (Franz Joseph Haydn) SD. Uploaded by LandsmannVideo. Accessed March 4, 2018.   (Gabriel · Eva Ida Falk Winland, Soprano. Uriel - Andrew Staples, Tenor. Raphael -  David Stout, Bass. Adam - Robert Davies, Bass. Musica Saeculorum. Konzertmeister: Matthew Truscott. Conductor: Philipp von Steinaecker)

Facts about The Creation:

Composer: (Franz) Joseph Haydn (1732-1809), an Austrian composer born in Rohrau, Austria.  

Original Title: Die Schöpfung

Original Language: German

Text: Gottfried van Swieten (Baron von Swieten), Austrian patron of the Arts. The words are based on the Holy Bible's Book of Genesis and a poem by the Englishman Lidley (or Linley), who also based his work on Milton's Paradise Lost.      

Form: Three Parts, a total of 34 musical numbers. 

Date of Writing: 1796-1798.

First Performance: Vienna, in the palace of Prince Schwarzenberg, April 29 and 30, 1798.

Handel's Oratorio Messiah

Classical Music / Oratorio:  Handel's Messiah

Greatest Oratorio of all time, with its powerful "Hallelujah Chorus"

George Frideric Handel's sacred music, Messiah, remains the most famous oratorio for Easter and Christmas. Facts and other information are revisited in this article. Messiah, a fixture of the Christmas season most especially the "Hallelujah Chorus", is in fact not originally created by George F. Handel for Christmas but for Lent.

Brief Information of Oratorio Messiah

George Frideric Handel's oratorio Messiah is first performed on April 13, 1742, the Tuesday before Easter, in a small theatre in Dublin, Ireland. In particular, it is customary for the audience, Christians and any believer of Christ's birth and resurrection, to rise during the singing of the "Hallelujah Chorus" being carried away by the magnificence of the music.

 

 George F. Handel set Charles Jennens' Biblical libretto to an oratorio music with much speed in the summer of 1741. In just 24 days, Messiah was completed, August 22–September 14. Like many of Handel's compositions, Messiah is much adapted liberally from his earlier works. He wrote the piece while staying as a guest at Jennens' country house in Leicestershire, England. It is thought that the work was completed inside a garden temple.

 

Starting in 1745, the performance of the Messiah became an yearly event in Dublin during Holy Week. It was only during the 19th century when it crossed the Atlantic that performances of the oratorio became associated with the Christmas season. 

 

JS BACH St. Matthew Passion

Classical Music / Sacred Music


The St Matthew Passion (German: Matthäus-Passion), BWV 244, is a Passion, an oratorio written by Johann Sebastian Bach in 1727 for solo voices, double choir and double orchestra, with libretto by Picander (Christian Friedrich Henrici). The setting is based on the Holy Bible's Gospel of St. Matthew chapters 26 and 27 (in the German translation of Martin Luther) to music, with interspersed chorales and arias. It is widely regarded as one of the masterpieces of classical sacred music and pinnacle of JS Bach's musical artistic achievement.

Below is a video performed by the King's College Chapel in Cambridge, conducted by Stephen Cleobury. Rogers Covey-Crump - tenor (Evangelist), Michael George - bass (Jesus),  Emma Kirkby - soprano,  Michael Chance - alto,  Martyn Hill - tenor,  David Thomas - bass,  The Choir of King's College, Cambridge; The Choir of Jesus College, Cambridge (Soprano in ripieno); The Brandenburg Consort (Roy Goodman - leader). 

Bach - St. Matthew Passion (Cambridge, 1994). Apology. Embedding is no longer available for this video. Here's the link: Bach's St Matthew Passion. Uploaded by EuroArtsChannel. Accessed November 11, 2017.

Another video, for more listening ...  Here's the link: Bach St. Matthew Passion (Complete). Youtube, uploaded by ClassicalMusicTVHD. Accessed Nov 11, 2014  (more listening)

The St Matthew Passion is the second of two Passion settings by JS Bach that have survived, the first being the St. John Passion, first performed in 1724. Very little is about the creation process of the St Matthew Passion. The available information derives from extant early manuscripts, contemporary publications of the libretto, and circumstantial data, for instance in documents archived by the Town Council of Leipzig.  It was  probably first performed on 11 April 1727 in the St. Thomas Church and again on 15 April 1729, 30 March 1736, and 23 March 1742. Bach then revised it again between 1743 and 1746.

Trivia:  Our Sydney Philharmonia Choirs (Symphony Chorus, Chamber Singers and VOX) performed Bach's St Matthew Passion, with Brett Weymark conducting. Soloists: Robert Macfarlane (Evangelist), Christopher Richardson (Christus), Celeste Lazarenko (Soprano), Sally-Anne Russell (Mezzo Soprano), Jonathan Abernethy (Tenor) and David Greco (Baritone). An amazing statement of faith! Saturday, 15 April 2017, Concert Hall, Sydney Opera House. The last time Sydney Philharmonia Choirs performed this was 10 years ago (2007).  Here's a review from the Sydney Morning Herald: "Bach's St Matthew Passion an epic undertaking of power and energy."


Video Credit:

Bach St. Matthew Passion (King's College, Cambridge, 1994). Youtube, uploaded by EuroArtsChannel. Accessed Nov. 11, 2017. 

Bach St. Matthew Passion (Complete). Youtube, uploaded by ClassicalMusicTVHD. Accessed Nov 11, 2014  (more listening)

Resource:

St. Matthew Passion (Bach).  en.wikipedia.org.



(c) April 11, 2009. Updated September 5, 2023. Tel. Inspired Pen Web. All rights reserved. 

Handel Oratorio Samson

Classical Music Milestone: February 18 

George Handel's oratorio Samson premieres at London's Covent Garden

Samson is an oratorio based on a libretto by Newburgh Hamilton, who based it on Milton's Samson Agonistes, which which in turn was based on Samson in the Holy Bible's Old Testament Book of Judges.  Samson is considered one of Handel's finest dramatic works.

Below is I think a brilliant recording performed by Münchener Bach-Chor Münchener Bach-Orchester, Karl Richter conducting.  Soloists: Sheila Armstrong, Martina Arroyo, Helen Donath, Ezio Flagello, Norma Procter,  Thomas Stewart,  Alexander Young.




Here's the recording tracks: 
1. Overture 00:00
2. Chorus of Philistines: Awake the trumpet's lofty sound! 06:38
3. Air (Philistine woman): Ye men of Gaza, hither bring 08:42
4. Air (Samson): Total eclipse 12:52
5. Chorus of Israelites: Then round about the starry throne 17:23
6. Air and chorus (Micah, Israelites): Return oh Gof of hosts! 19:25
7. Duet and chorus (Dalila, Virgin, Virgins): My faith and truth, oh Samson prove 29:35
8. Air (Samson): Your charms to ruin led the way 36:37
9. Air (Harapha): Honour and arms such a foe 40:17
10. Duet (Samson, Harapha): Go, baffled coward, go 45:45
11. Chorus of Israelites: With thunder armed 48:16
12. Chorus of Israelites and Philistines: Fix'd in his everlasting seat 51:24
13. Air (Samson): Thus when the sun from's wat'ry bed 54:36
14. Air and chorus (Philistine man, Philistines): Great Dagon has subdued our foe 58:35
15. Chorus of Philistines: Hear us our God, oh hear our cry! 01:02:28
16. Dead March 01:03:52
17. Solo and chorus (Israelites): Glorious hero, may thy grave 01:06:46
18. Air (Israelites woman): Let the bright Seraphim 01:13:06
19. Chorus of Israelites: Let their celestical concerts all unite 01:16:20

 The premiere on February 18, 1743, was a great success leading to a total of seven performances in its first season, the most in a single season of any of Handel's oratorios. Samson retained its popularity throughout Handel's lifetime.  It is usually performed as an oratorio in concert form. On occasions it has also been staged as an opera.

Video Credit: 

Handel - Samson.  VSP musicale. Accessed Feb 18, 2018.  

Resource:

Handel's Oratorio Samson.  operastanford.edu (Libretto Homepage).  Accessed February 18, 2015.


© 2007. Updated February 18, 2018. Tel. Inspired Pen Web. All rights Reserved.