Handel - Judas Maccabaeus / Kirkby · Denley · Bowman · MacDougall · The King's Consort · King [Import]

Robert King (Artist), Emma Kirkby (Artist), James Bowman (Artist), The King's Consort (Artist), Oxford The Choir of New College (Artist), Catherine Denley (Artist), Jamie MacDougall (Artist), Michael George (Artist), George Frideric Handel (Composer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Composer: George Frideric Handel
• Audio CD (March 4, 1993)
• Number of Discs: 2
• Format: Import
• Label: Hyperion UK
• ASIN: B000002ZSI
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #95,171 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #10 in Music > Classical > Opera & Vocal > Divas > Kirkby, Emma

Track Listings

Disc: 1

1. Judas Maccabaeus: Overture

2. Judas Maccabaeus: Act I: Chorus

3. Judas Maccabaeus: Act I: Recitative (Israelitish Man) (Israelitish Woman)

4. Judas Maccabaeus: Act I: Duet (Israelitish Woman) (Israelitish Man)

5. Judas Maccabaeus: Act I: Chorus

6. Judas Maccabaeus: Act I: Recitative (Israelitish Man)

7. Judas Maccabaeus: Act I: Air (Israelitish Man)

8. Judas Maccabaeus: Act I: Chorus

9. Judas Maccabaeus: Act I: Recitative (Simon)

10. Judas Maccabaeus: Act I: Air (Simon)

See all 32 tracks on this disc

Disc: 2

1. Judas Maccabaeus: Act II: Duet (Isralitish Woman) (Israelitish Man) - Chorus

2. Judas Maccabaeus: Act II: Recitative (Judas Maccabeus)

3. Judas Maccabaeus: Act II: Air (Judas Maccabaeus)

4. Judas Maccabaeus: Act II: Recitative (Messenger)

5. Judas Maccabaeus: Act II: Air (Israelitish Woman) - Chorus

6. Judas Maccabaeus: Act II: Recitative (Simon)

7. Judas Maccabaeus: Act II: Air (Simon)

8. Judas Maccabaeus: Act II: Recitative (Judas Maccabaeus)

9. Judas Maccabaeus: Act II: Air (Judas Maccabaeus) - Chorus

10. Judas Maccabaeus: Act II: Recitative (Simon)

See all 28 tracks on this disc

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars excellent performance, but poor sound, May 24, 2000

By 

D. Held (New York, NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Handel - Judas Maccabaeus / Kirkby · Denley · Bowman · MacDougall · The King's Consort · King (Audio CD)

Wonderful vocal performancess especially by Emma Kirkby in her finest clearest voice. The several Duets with Ms Kirkby and Ms Denley (mezzo, singing a male part, no less) show their sensitive musicianship and vocal prowess. However, this recording is marred by fuzzy sound, and a low-level recording. This is its major draw-back, but until more Original Performance Practice performances become available--or this goes back to the recording technicians--this is the Judas Maccabaeus to have.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Berkeley Overcomes Oxford, September 15, 2009

By 

Giordano Bruno - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Handel - Judas Maccabaeus / Kirkby · Denley · Bowman · MacDougall · The King's Consort · King (Audio CD)

University of California Berkeley, that is, not the philosopher. There are two contenders for top performance of Judas Maccabaeus -- well, in fact there are other recordings, but they're NOT in contention -- this one by The King's Consort and the Choir of New College Oxford, and the recently re-released performance by Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra and the UC Berkeley Chamber Chorus. The latter recording wins as forcefully as the Duke of Cumberland won at Culloden (the purported occasion for this composition) entirely on the superiority of the Berkeley chorus, which sings with superb clarity and ensemble under the direction of John Butt. It helps that the recording quality is also far superior. This Oxford performance is fuzzy in the extreme. The Philharmonia recording was made in the studio of Skywalker Sound, on the Lucas film 'campus' north of San Francisco. The only winning feint of the Kings Consort recording is the voice of Emma Kirkby, and it's not quite enough.
See my review of the other CD set for more detail.

14 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Loved it from the start, October 7, 2003

By 

William (Brisbane, Queensland Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Handel - Judas Maccabaeus / Kirkby · Denley · Bowman · MacDougall · The King's Consort · King (Audio CD)

I actually sang in a choir, presenting this work, and from that time stems my own familiarity and love of this amazing work. I cannot really say much that would do any justice to the music, but inasmuch as oratorio seems Handel's showcase for his fertile and powerful imagination, so Judas Maccabeus, along with Messiah, is the star of the show.

I loved it from the start. One of the main criteria in assessing how good a choir is, has to be how well and how purely each voice can carry a note, in a reasonably bel canto fashion. Vibrato in the high soprano lines, and murky unpercievable notes in any of the voices are a turn-off particularly, and thankfully this recording is void of that. I have said this of another choir (King's consort choir), but I must say too, in the capacity of a fan quite partial to the King's college choir, that the New College Choir of Oxford prove themselves undoubtedly up to what I consider the standard-setting performances of the King's college choir. Maybe it has something to do with Mr. Robert King's masterful direction. He certainly conducts with marvellously Handelian power, and ferocity. Without comparison to any other presumably fine recordings (I haven't had the opportunity to hear any other's yet) I completely and fully recommend this recording, as a Handelian triumph, and a grand example of high standard in performance.