Customer Reviews

Handel - Solomon / A. Scholl, Dam-Jensen, Hagley, Bickley, Gritton, Agnew, Harvey, Gabrieli Consort and Players, Paul McCreesh

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have Gardiner's recording of this magnificent work and have listened to it many times over and it's truly wonderful; however, this new recording is superior in almost every respect. Paul McCreesh is a true Handelian. He seems to understand this composer almost better than any contemporary conductor, even Gardiner and that is saying quite a bit. Mr. McCreesh's affinity for this music is prevalent throughout and he coaxes wonderful performances from his singers, orchestra and chorus. The fact that he chose to represent the work in it's entirety also speaks volumes about his unyielding belief that "Solomon" does not contain the "deadwood" previously attributed to it. It's nice to know that some conductors are humble enough not to feel obligated to "improve" on a masterpiece. I liken the alteration of an original musical composition to the butchering of a master painting. Just because the nose is not as beautiful as the eyes on a portrait, does not give anyone the authority to replace said nose with another, more attractive nose, or, in some cases, nothing at all, merely because they believe it's detrimental to the work as a whole. Give me a major break. In the end, everything Handel wrote for "Solomon" works beautifully and the result is the full restoration of a truly magnificent oratorio. A splendid recording, through and through with Andreas Scholl especially impressive as the wise king. The chorus, too, is nothing short of brilliant. The acoustics of All Saints Church are ideal for this type of music, warm yet ample. Should you choose to purchase this recording, you won't be disappointed. I promise!

For those who are drawn to artists who emphasize expressiveness and variability of interpretation in their work, this recording is definitely worth owning. McCreesh allows the performance of this very moving oratorio to be intimate and thoughtful as well as thrilling. Tastes differ, and I disagree that Scholl's performance is self-indulgent. He sings the recits at the appropriate speech-pace and treats them with as much consideration as the arias, which I find refreshing. Most of Gardiner's recordings lack the elegance and patience present on this disc and most often found in the work of Herreweghe, Leonardht and Robert King.

The chorus is very well prepared and sings with a nice balance of liveliness and taste (in particular the enchanting chorus "While nightingales lull them to sleep" is enough to make you forget where you are). All in all this is an excellent example of a conductor bringing communication to the forefront and allowing musicians to be just that. For me that is what baroque music is all about.

This was a surprise recording for me. I've never considered McCreesh to be an opera conductor. Not that I'm a major expert, but I do own a number of his recordings, and I've always thought of him as a conductor most celebrated for his liturgical performances. Well, it turns out that the familiar McCreesh is equally at home in opera as in liturgy. In fact, come to think of it, McCreesh's extroverted ("congregational") renditions of church music made him just the conductor to tackle the drama of opera. His expressive conducting elicits the best out of each performer. And what a cast! Andreas Scholl turns in a wonderful performance as Solomon. I'm one of those people who sometimes find Scholl's singing to be beautiful without passion. But no such charge can be levelled against him here. His beatiful tone is combined with excellent phrasing, aided by McCreesh's judiciouly chosen tempi. I think this is one of Scholl's best performances on disc. Incidentally, I'm happy that McCreesh opted for a countertenor in the role of Solomon - I'm really not a fan of women in "pants" roles. Two other singers clearly stand out: Paul Agnew as Zadok (one of my two favorite tenors, if anybody cares) and Peter Harvey as a Levite. Luckily, Agnew's Zadok has more to sing that Zadok on the Gardiner. In Agnew's magnificent performance, no one can claim that some of the arias he gets to sing are the proverbial "deadwood!" The female singers, especially the bright-voiced Susan Gritton, are also memorable. Bravo, Paul McCreesh!

Unlike the other reviewers here, I'm a newcomer to Handel's oratorios. Operas like Ariodante, Rinaldo, Orlando, and Giulio Cesare made me fall in love with Handel as a composer. And now, his oratorios have made him my favorite composer, after Verdi.

Handel's oratorios can be even more thrilling than his operas. For example, there are practically no choruses in his operas. You are lucky if you get a duet or two. The arias from his oratorios are less ornate than those of his operas, but on the other hand they are not just vacuous, florid displays, either. Also, for those whose native tongue is English, there is there is the joy of hearing how music sung in English can be as beautiful as that sung in other languages.

Anyhow, if you aren't a religious person, don't let the sacred themes faze you. Any lover of finely composed music will be in a state of absolute bliss.

I bought this recording of Solomon because of Andreas Scholl, one of my favorite singers. Another reviewer here lambasts him for being in love with his own voice. So what? I'm in love with his voice, too. Sure, a couple of arias move rather slowly. But his next oratorio for McCreesh, Saul, proves that he can be more dramatically engaged, if he wants.

Speaking of Saul, I suppose that I like that oratorio more than Solomon, only because it is a continuous narrative, instead of a series of vignettes, like Solomon. Still, Solomon is still a glorious work of music. I find myself listening to the second disc the most. The opening "Happy Solomon" chorus thrills me every time. McCreesh's powerhouse chorus is sheer perfection, and the orchestration is dazzling. Again, another reviewer criticized McCreesh for conducting each chorus as if it were an anthem. Well, I for one love anthemic choruses! Some people just don't like thrilling music, I guess.

The scene with the two harlots is also compelling. The first harlot's plea of, "My cause is just, be thou my friend" contrasts strongly with the second harlot's cry of, "False is all her melting tale." The two harlot's music blends, with Solomon singing, "Justice holds the lifted scale." This is a very inspired use of counterpoint, by Handel. As an aside, Scholl is dramatically focused when he says, "Divide the child." That line gets me each time I hear it. The second harlot is deliciouly wicked when she sings, "Thy sentence, o king, is prudent and wise."

In my opinion, no Handel collection is complete without Paul McCreesh / Andreas Scholl's recordings of Solomon and Saul.

One is hard put to decide which of the two available recordings of "Solomon" (Gardiner's or McCreesh's) is the better. On the one hand, McCreesh offers the entire oratorio, without cutting any arias (as Gardiner does) -- something that will appeal to all fussy Handel enthusiasts. The quality of both recordings is equally good, and the technical performance of the English Baroque Soloists and the Gabrieli Consort are equally praiseworthy. However, I find the Gardiner recording the more dramatic, fast-moving, and poignant at just the right moments. In McCreesh's performance, Andreas Scholl sometimes seems so enamored of his own voice that he drags the recitatives out so slowly as to induce soporiferousness, and nearly brings the dramatic action to an utter standstill. McCreesh's choruses are nothing short of stunning, yet every single one sounds so much like an anthem, or like the end of the oratorio, that one is surprised when the recitative picks up again afterwards and the drama moves on. I found this constant slowing down, then subsequent continuation, of the drama rather unsettling. Maybe I'm too picky, but I wish Gardiner's performance style could be combined with McCreesh's musicologically completist ethic.

I struggled as to wether I should purchase "Solomon" with either Michael Chance of Andreas Scholl singing the title role. This is a frequent difficulty, because they are two of my favorites, but often sing the same compositions. The Mcreesh version with Scholl won out, mainly because it is the entire score. It is interesting to note that Paul Mcreesh opted to place the choral piece, "Praise the Lord" in its proper place, instead of changing it to a finale role, as is typically done, thus avoiding a possible Romantic imbellishment, as opposed to Baroque. The choruses are many and magnificent. All Scholl's arias are angelic. There are also three duets, with three of four of the sopranos, and Scholl. One aria by Solomon's Queen is a little strange. She refers to being led to the nuptial bed, and, being sung in English sounds a little odd. All around, a gem. No-one overpowers another. The orchestra is amazing. And Paul Mcreesh directing. Need I say more?

El oratorio Salomón HWV 67 (1749) de Haendel contiene un hálito marcial y a la misma vez contemplativo de mayor elaboración por parte del Genio de Halle y que data de la misma época de la Suite Música para los Reales Fuegos Artificiales». Uno de mis números preferidos, «Your harps and cymbals sound», ha sido en lo personal el fragmento sacro de Haendel que más me ha estremecido. Tu cuerpo siente un suministro de energía glorificante indescriptible. Incluso, la mayoría de las obras interpretadas bajo la conducción de Paul Mc Creesh tienen esas características (recomiendo así mismo, su versión de Saúl, de Haendel, así como el Requiem, de Tomás Luis de Victoria, compositor renacentista español).

En el aria «What tho` I trace», Andreas Scholl (Salomón)realiza la interpretación más tiernamente espiritual que he escuchado de Haendel. En ella Salomón habla de la inutilidad de su sabiduría, si ésta no está al servicio del creador.

Magistral interpretación del contratenor alemán Andreas Scholl.

Un rasgo novedoso del oratorio Salomón es su presencia casi nula de elementos profanos de idilios amorosos (tal como sucede en Saúl HWV 53 o Theodora HWV 68 de Haendel)¿Podría tratarse de una reivindicación del personaje bíblico del rey Salomón, el cual sucumbió ante los encantos de la reina de Saba). En todo caso, este set de CDS bien vale su compra; sobre todo para los fieles admiradores de la voz de Andreas Scholl, que en esta obra hace gala de un sostenido y una potencia que supera a muchas de sus otras interpretaciones, incluso operísticas.

I bought this because Alison Hagley was in it. None can match her pure and innocent voice. What more can I say? Alison Hagley is just a beautiful woman with a beaurtiful voice!

My only quibble is that it is spread over 3 disks, about 52-53 minutes on the average, whereas it is possible to put about 80 minutes on a disk - it could quite easily have fitted into two as the Gardiner version did.