SCO Israel in Egypt Usher Hall Edinburgh 1st December 2022 Review
SCO Israel in Egypt at the Usher Hall Edinburgh tonight was interesting both musically and historically in many ways, and this work by Handel, completed in 1739 while he was living in London, still has the ability to divide people into liking or disliking its format.
To say that Handel’s Israel in Egypt was not well received when it was first performed in 1739 is a bit of an understatement, but somehow it has become one of his most popular works and one of the most popular oratorios of all time. Why the shift in tastes? Some reasons are historical; English music was at the time moving away from traditional Italian opera (which Handel composed too) and trying to establish its own musical identity to reflect Britain’s growing stature in the world of the period, and an English language biblical oratorio seemed to fit the mood of the changing times, and Handel’s talents as a composer perfectly.
This evening’s performance by the SCO was an opportunity to hear and see how the different components of this work come together as orchestra, chorus and soloist voices combine different musical elements and themes together into one larger work. The chance to hear all of these different “Voices” telling the Biblical story of the flight of the Jewish people from Egypt towards their “Promised Land” with words from the book of Exodus itself in a purpose built concert venue like the Usher Hall also added much power to words and music. Still though, I could not help but feel that the natural performance space for this work is in a church. The size of that church, small village or large cathedral, does not really matter as that is one of the important aspects of oratorios; they can, unlike opera, with no need for any props, costumes or scenery be scaled up or down as the venue and performance budget requires.
It is easy to see from this performance how the format and the subject matter of a Biblical oratorio became so popular with the Victorian period, and how Handel was capable of producing something both complex and simple at the same time; this work can survive from amateur productions to the talents of the SCO and still retain all of its wonder.
Israel in Egypt is an odd work though as on the one hand we clearly have a master of this form at his peak, but on the other hand there is still that feeling at times of divergent musical ideas being forced together, and Handel made no secret of using some of his earlier compositions in this work, but also of using parts of other composers’ works in here too. This last statement might seem odd to modern ideas of music originality, but one composer borrowing not only inspiration, but whole passages of other people’s work was far from uncommon and even accepted at one time.
At its heart, this is a Biblical story, a statement of faith, and I wonder with the new census reports on religious denomination that were published just a few days ago, if this work, like many others of its kind, is in danger of becoming less relevant to many people and becoming an historical document of not only changing musical tastes, but changing religious values in our modern day society.
Bringing this work to life with the SCO
Richard Egarr Conductor / Harpsichord
Rowan Pierce Soprano
Mary Bevan Soprano
Helen Charlston Alto
James Gilchrist Tenor
Ashley Riches Bass Baritone
Peter Harvey Baritone (replaces Andrew Foster-Williams)
SCO Chorus
Gregory Batsleer Chorus Director
Review by Tom King © 2022
www.artsrevieewsedinburgh.com
To say that Handel’s Israel in Egypt was not well received when it was first performed in 1739 is a bit of an understatement, but somehow it has become one of his most popular works and one of the most popular oratorios of all time. Why the shift in tastes? Some reasons are historical; English music was at the time moving away from traditional Italian opera (which Handel composed too) and trying to establish its own musical identity to reflect Britain’s growing stature in the world of the period, and an English language biblical oratorio seemed to fit the mood of the changing times, and Handel’s talents as a composer perfectly.
This evening’s performance by the SCO was an opportunity to hear and see how the different components of this work come together as orchestra, chorus and soloist voices combine different musical elements and themes together into one larger work. The chance to hear all of these different “Voices” telling the Biblical story of the flight of the Jewish people from Egypt towards their “Promised Land” with words from the book of Exodus itself in a purpose built concert venue like the Usher Hall also added much power to words and music. Still though, I could not help but feel that the natural performance space for this work is in a church. The size of that church, small village or large cathedral, does not really matter as that is one of the important aspects of oratorios; they can, unlike opera, with no need for any props, costumes or scenery be scaled up or down as the venue and performance budget requires.
It is easy to see from this performance how the format and the subject matter of a Biblical oratorio became so popular with the Victorian period, and how Handel was capable of producing something both complex and simple at the same time; this work can survive from amateur productions to the talents of the SCO and still retain all of its wonder.
Israel in Egypt is an odd work though as on the one hand we clearly have a master of this form at his peak, but on the other hand there is still that feeling at times of divergent musical ideas being forced together, and Handel made no secret of using some of his earlier compositions in this work, but also of using parts of other composers’ works in here too. This last statement might seem odd to modern ideas of music originality, but one composer borrowing not only inspiration, but whole passages of other people’s work was far from uncommon and even accepted at one time.
At its heart, this is a Biblical story, a statement of faith, and I wonder with the new census reports on religious denomination that were published just a few days ago, if this work, like many others of its kind, is in danger of becoming less relevant to many people and becoming an historical document of not only changing musical tastes, but changing religious values in our modern day society.
Bringing this work to life with the SCO
Richard Egarr Conductor / Harpsichord
Rowan Pierce Soprano
Mary Bevan Soprano
Helen Charlston Alto
James Gilchrist Tenor
Ashley Riches Bass Baritone
Peter Harvey Baritone (replaces Andrew Foster-Williams)
SCO Chorus
Gregory Batsleer Chorus Director
Review by Tom King © 2022
www.artsrevieewsedinburgh.com
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