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

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com's Best of 1999
This complete, uncut account of one of Handel's greatest biblical oratorios is a must-have for fans of the baroque--indeed, of magnificent and thrilling music, period. Under Paul McCreesh's direction, and with star countertenor Andreas Scholl in the title role headlining a splendid group of soloists, Solomon contains powerhouse choruses, haunting arias, and some of Handel's most vividly drawn characters. --Thomas May

Amazon.com essential recording
It's been conventional wisdom for several generations that Solomon, great oratorio though it may be, contains a lot of deadwood; conductors have regularly cut some items and changed the order of others. (Even John Eliot Gardiner's excellent recording cuts about 30 minutes of music.) Leave it to Paul McCreesh to give us the complete score--and demonstrate that Handel's original structure makes plenty of sense and that every number is worthwhile. What's more, McCreesh's performance is two... read more

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

Handel - Solomon / A. Scholl, Dam-Jensen, Hagley, Bickley, Gritton, Agnew, Harvey, Gabrieli Consort and Players, Paul McCreesh, Music, George Frideric Handel, Andreas Scholl, Inger Dam-Jensen, Paul McCreesh, Gabrieli Consort and Players, Susan Bickley, Susan Gritton, Alison Hagley, Peter Harvey, Paul Agnew, Choral, Classical, Classical Composers, Classical Music, Opera / Operetta / Oratorio, Oratorio
Handel - Solomon / A. Scholl, Dam-Jensen, Hagley, Bickley, Gritton, Agnew, Harvey, Gabrieli Consort and Players, Paul McCreesh
Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
  • The full Oratorio
  • Alison Hagley is the best!
  • Who's Afraid of English Oratorio?
  • Much better than Gardiner's work
  • A successful adventure
 Handel - Solomon / A. Scholl, Dam-Jensen, Hagley, Bickley, Gritton, Agnew, Harvey, Gabrieli Consort and Players, Paul McCreesh
George Frideric Handel , Andreas Scholl , Inger Dam-Jensen , Paul McCreesh , Gabrieli Consort and Players , Susan Bickley , Susan Gritton , Alison Hagley , Peter Harvey , and Paul Agnew
Manufacturer: Archiv Produktion
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

All Works by HandelAll Works by Handel | Handel, George Frideric | ( H ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Classical | Styles | Music
McCreesh, PaulMcCreesh, Paul | ( M ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
GeneralGeneral | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
OratoriosOratorios | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
OratoriosOratorios | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
ClassicalClassical | Box Sets | Stores | Music
Similar Items:
  1. Handel - Theodora / Gritton, Bickley, Blaze, Agnew, A. Smith, N. Davies, Gabrieli Consort and Players, McCreesh
  2. Handel: Saul
  3. Handel - Saul / Joshua · Bell · Zazzo · Ovenden · Saks · Slattery · RIAS Kammerchor · Concerto Köln · Jacobs
  4. Arias for Senesino
  5. Handel - Giustino / Chance · Röschmann · Kotoski · Gondek · Lane · Minter · Padmore · Ely · McGegan

ASIN: B00000JLFG
Release Date: 1999-07-20

Tracks:

  1. Solomon: Overture (Grave) - Fuga Allegro moderato - Allegro
  2. Solomon: Act I: Chorus: Your Harps And Cymbals Sound
  3. Solomon: Act I: Air: Praise Ye The Lord
  4. Solomon: Act I: Chorus: With Pious Heart
  5. Solomon: Act I: Air: Almighty Pow'r
  6. Solomon: Act I: Accompagnato: Imperial Solomon
  7. Solomon: Act I: Air: Sacred Raptures
  8. Solomon: Act I: Chorus: Throughout The Land
  9. Solomon: Act I: Recitative: Bless'd Be The Lord
  10. Solomon: Act I: Air: What Tho' I trace
  11. Solomon: Act I: Recitative: And See My Queen
  12. Solomon: Act I: Air: Bless'd The Day
  13. Solomon: Act I: Recitative: Thou Fair Inhabitant Of Nile
  14. Solomon: Act I: Duet: Welcome As The Dawn Of Day
  15. Solomon: Act I: Recitative: Vain Are The Transient Beauties
  16. Solomon: Act I: Air: Indulge Thy Faith
  17. Solomon: Act I: Recitative: My Blooming Fair
  18. Solomon: Act I: Air: Haste To The Cedar Grove
  19. Solomon: Act I: Recitative: When Thou Art Absent
  20. Solomon: Act I: Air: With Thee Th'unshelter'd Moor
  21. Solomon: Act I: Recitative: Search Round The World
  22. Solomon: Act I: Chorus: May No Rash Intruder

Tracks:

  1. Solomon: Act II: Chorus: From The Censer Curling Rise
  2. Solomon: Act II: Recitative: Prais'd Be The Lord
  3. Solomon: Act II: Air: When The Sun O'er Yonder Hills
  4. Solomon: Act II: Recitative: Great Prince
  5. Solomon: Act II: Air: Thrice Bless'd That Wise Discerning King
  6. Solomon: Act II: Recitative: My Sovereign Leige
  7. Solomon: Act II: Words Are Weak
  8. Solomon: Act II: Recitative: What Says The Other
  9. Solomon: Act II: Air: Thy Sentence, Great King
  10. Solomon: Act II: Recitative: Withhold, Withhold The Executing Hand!
  11. Solomon: Act II: Air: Can I See My Infant Gor'd
  12. Solomon: Act II: Accompagnato: Israel, Attend
  13. Solomon: Act II: Duet: Thrice Bless'd Be The King
  14. Solomon: Act II: Chorus: From The East Unto The West
  15. Solomon: Act II: Recitative: From Morn To Eve
  16. Solomon: Act II: Air: See The Tall Palm
  17. Solomon: Act II: Recitative: No More Shall Armed Bands
  18. Solomon: Act II: Air: Beneath The Vine
  19. Solomon: Act II: Chorus: Swell, Swell The Full Chorus

Tracks:

  1. Solomon: Symfony
  2. Solomon: Recitative: From Arabia's spicy shores
  3. Solomon: Air: Ev'ry sight these eyes behold
  4. Solomon: Recitative: Sweep, sweep the string
  5. Solomon: Air and Chorus: Music, spread thy voice around
  6. Solomon: Air and Chorus: Now a diff'rent measure try
  7. Solomon: Recitative: Then at once from rage remove
  8. Solomon: Chorus: Draw the tear from hopeless love
  9. Solomon: Recitative: Next the tortur'd soul release
  10. Solomon: Air and Chorus: Thus rolling surges rise
  11. Solomon: Recitative: Thy harmony's divine
  12. Solomon: Air: Pious king
  13. Solomon: Recitative: Thrice happy king
  14. Solomon: Air: Golden Columns
  15. Solomon: Chorus: Praise the Lord
  16. Solomon: Recitative: Gold now is common
  17. Solomon: Air: How green our fertile pastures look!
  18. Solomon: Recitative: May peace in Salem
  19. Solomon: Air: Will the sun forget to streak
  20. Solomon: Recitative: Adieu, fair queen
  21. Solomon: Duet: Ev'ry joy that wisdom knows
  22. Solomon: Grand Chorus: The name of the wicked

Amazon.com's Best of 1999

This complete, uncut account of one of Handel's greatest biblical oratorios is a must-have for fans of the baroque--indeed, of magnificent and thrilling music, period. Under Paul McCreesh's direction, and with star countertenor Andreas Scholl in the title role headlining a splendid group of soloists, Solomon contains powerhouse choruses, haunting arias, and some of Handel's most vividly drawn characters. --Thomas May

Amazon.com essential recording

It's been conventional wisdom for several generations that Solomon, great oratorio though it may be, contains a lot of deadwood; conductors have regularly cut some items and changed the order of others. (Even John Eliot Gardiner's excellent recording cuts about 30 minutes of music.) Leave it to Paul McCreesh to give us the complete score--and demonstrate that Handel's original structure makes plenty of sense and that every number is worthwhile. What's more, McCreesh's performance is two and a half hours of just about nonstop magnificence. You'd think nobody could surpass Gardiner's Monteverdi Choir for precision and energy, but the Gabrieli Consort & Players do it: they're wondrously vivid, responsive to nuance, and clear in their diction. (By the way, DG's recording has thrilling separation in the double choruses.) As marvelous as Gardiner's soloists are, McCreesh's are just about their equals (though Inger Dam-Jensen as Solomon's Queen lets vibrato get the better of her first aria); Susan Gritton, Paul Agnew, and Peter Harvey in particular combine beautiful sound and diction with imaginative embellishments. Then there's the title role: yes, Handel wrote it for a female mezzo, but Andreas Scholl gives such an attractive-sounding and spirited performance that any complaint of inauthenticity seems like pedantic caviling. --Matthew Westphal

Customer Reviews:

5 out of 5 stars The full Oratorio.......2007-05-22

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?

5 out of 5 stars Alison Hagley is the best!.......2005-12-11

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!

5 out of 5 stars Who's Afraid of English Oratorio?.......2005-10-11

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.

5 out of 5 stars Much better than Gardiner's work.......2000-05-27

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.

5 out of 5 stars A successful adventure.......1999-12-24

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!

Music Review:

  1. Heinrich Schutz: Motets and Concertos/Musikalische Exequien
  2. Howells: Requiem; Vaughan Williams: Mass in Gm
  3. Igor Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring / Alexander Scriabin: The Poem of Ecstasy - Valery Gergiev / Kirov Orchestra
  4. J.S. Bach: Cantatas, Vol. 15
  5. Lalo: Symphonie Espagnole; Saint-Saens: Violin Concerto; Ravel: Tzigane; Maxim Vengerov
  6. Leonard Bernstein: A Jewish Legacy [Milken Archive of American Jewish Music]
  7. Luminous Spirit
  8. Mahler Lied Mahler Lieder Song Cycles
  9. Majesty of America
  10. Mendelssohn, Bruch: Violin Concertos

Music Review

music review

Music Review

The Datsuns (Limited Edition Bonus DVD)

Classics & Cognac

Gade Abrahamsen & Horneman

Bluegrass Rules!

Galvanize [CD-single] [Import]

Intimate [Import]

Gaia

Genesis

Great Hits [Import]

Fistful of Alice [Import] [Live]

Give [Extra tracks] [Import]

En Concert [Import] [Live]

Dance & Shout [CD-single] [Import]

Duetto

Vol. 20-Jazz in the Charts-1935