Description
Handel - Israel in Egypt; Zadok the Priest; The King Shall Rejoice / 103 min. + / Monteverdi Choir, English Baroque Soloists, John Eliot Gardiner / Philips 2x Audio CD 2003 / 473 304-2
UPC 028947330424
Israel in Egypt, HWV 54, is a biblical oratorio by the composer George Frideric Handel. Most scholars believe the libretto was prepared by Charles Jennens, who also compiled the biblical texts for Handel's Messiah. It is composed entirely of selected passages from the Old Testament, mainly from Exodus and the Psalms.
Israel in Egypt premiered at London's King's Theatre in the Haymarket on April 4, 1739 with Élisabeth Duparc "La Francesina", William Savage, John Beard (tenor), Turner Robinson, Gustavus Waltz, and Thomas Reinhold. Handel started it soon after the opera season at King's Theatre was cancelled for lack of subscribers. The oratorio was not well received by the first audience though commended in the Daily Post; the second performance was shortened, the mainly choral work now augmented with Italian-style arias.
The first version of the piece is in three parts rather than two, the first part more famous as "The ways of Zion do mourn", with altered text as "The sons of Israel do mourn" lamenting the death of Joseph. This section precedes the Exodus, which in the three-part version is Part II rather than Part I.
Zadok the Priest (HWV 258) is a British anthem which was composed by George Frideric Handel for the coronation of King George II in 1727. Alongside The King Shall Rejoice, My Heart is Inditing and Let Thy Hand Be Strengthened, Zadok the Priest is one of Handel's Coronation Anthems. One of Handel's best-known works, Zadok the Priest has been sung prior to the anointing of the sovereign at the coronation of every British monarch since its composition and has become recognised as a British patriotic anthem.
| Label: | Philips - 473 304-2 |
|---|---|
| Format: |
CD, Album
|
| Country: | Germany |
| Released: |
2003 |
| Genre: | Classical |
| Style: |
Tracklist:
CD 1
Israel in Egypt, HWV 54
1. Overture
2-12. Part I: Exodus - L'Exode - Der Auszug
CD 2
1-14. Part II: Moses - Le Cantique de Moise - Moses' Gesang
15. Zadok the Priest, HWV 258
16. The King Shall Rejoice, HWV 260
- Choir - Monteverdi Choir
