Händel: Saul [ORIGINAL RECORDING REMASTERED]

Alastair Miles (Performer), Richard Savage (Performer), Simon Oberst (Performer), George Frederick Handel (Composer), Recorded Sound (Composer), John Eliot Gardiner (Conductor), Derek Lee Ragin (Performer), English Baroque Soloists (Orchestra), Donna Brown (Performer), Lynne Dawson (Performer), Ruth Holton (Performer), John Mark Ainsley (Performer), Neil Mackie (Performer), Philip Salmon (Performer), Philip Slane (Performer)

Product Details

• Performer: Alastair Miles, Richard Savage, Simon Oberst, Derek Lee Ragin, Donna Brown, et al.
• Orchestra: English Baroque Soloists
• Conductor: John Eliot Gardiner
• Composer: George Frederick Handel, Recorded Sound
• Audio CD (August 14, 2007)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 3
• Format: Original recording remastered
• Label: Philips
• ASIN: B000KQGOCW
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #226,400 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A classic recording of Saul, February 3, 2008

By	Mike Birman (Brooklyn, New York USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

Saul was Handel's fourth English Oratorio, composed in 1738 when the composer was at the pinnacle of his operatic career with consecutive productions of Ariodante and Alcina at the new Covent Garden. Handel was increasingly aware of how the limited forms of italian opera could not provide free rein to the unfettered expression of his genius: especially after the wildly popular production of John Gay's The Beggar's Opera, performed entirely in english, caused the stock of opera sung in the italian language to plummet in England. Saul premiered 16 January 1739 at the King's Theatre in the Haymarket following extensive revisions of Handel's first draft. There were just six performances during that first run and it appears to have been well received, although the original cast was not strong. Handel wrote the part of David for the famous mezzo-soprano Marchesini (though she never sang it). Instead, a man named Russell sang it, an ordinary tenor who sang the part transposed an octave lower than written. Likewise, the Witch of Endor was sung by a tenor voice, Handel following the convention of his time. The undistinguished cast hampered Saul, which closed after six performances, before being revived a further five times in London between 1740 and 1754. It was also performed in Dublin in 1742.

John Eliot Gardiner returns the part of David to a counter-tenor: Derek Lee Ragin, with tenor John Mark Ainsley singing Jonathan and soprano Lynne Dawson performing Michal. Bass Alastair Miles sings Saul. The entire cast is excellent. This is a recording made from a live performance at the Stadthalle in Gottingen Germany in June 1989. Gardiner's superb recording of Handel's Solomon was made around the same time. His conducting is lithe and swift, emphasizing pristine vocal timbres and clean, sparkling orchestral sonorities. The English Baroque Soloists play beautifully and the Monteverdi Choir sound resplendant, singing with an harmonic richness that belies their relatively small number. The original 1739 performing version of Saul is used, but includes some later additions. This is a superb recording, remastered for Philip's The Originals Legendary Recordings series. The sound is warm and intimate, with the orchestra especially clear and forward sounding. Voices are round and supple, with a nice illusion of space surrounding them. This is certainly a recording worthy of any Baroque collection. Strongly recommended.

Mike Birman