Stephen Cleobury - Handel: Israel in Egypt (2000)

11 Aug, 04:22
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Artist: King's College Choir of Cambridge, Brandenburg Consort, Stephen Cleobury
Title: Handel: Israel in Egypt
Year Of Release: 2000
Label: Decca
Genre: Classical
Quality: FLAC (image + .cue, log, scans)
Total Time: 02:05:21
Total Size: 591 MB
WebSite: Album Preview

Tracklist:

CD 1
Part I: The Lamentations Of The Israelites For The Death Of Joseph Or The Ways Of Zion Do Mourn
1-1 Prelude 1:46
1-2 Chorus: The Sons Of Israel Do Mourn 8:47
1-3 Chorus: He Put On Righteousness 2:18
1-4 Quartet: When The Ear Heard Him 3:19

1-5 Chorus: How Is The Mighty Fall'n 1:02
1-6 Chorus: He Deliver'd The Poor 5:45
1-7 Chorus: How Is The Is The Mighty Fall'n 1:03
1-8 Quartet - Chorus: The Righteous Shall Be Had 3:24

1-9 Chorus: Their Bodies Are Buried In Peace 5:05
1-10 Chorus: The People Will Tell Of Their Wisdom 2:03
1-11 Quartet: They Shall Recieve A Glorious Kingdom 3:22

1-12 Chorus: The Merciful Goodness Of The Lord 3:29

Part II: Exodus
1-13 Recitative: Now There Arose A New King Over Egypt 0:24

1-14 Chorus: And The Children Of Israel Sighed 3:33

1-15 Recitative: Then Sent He Moses 0:32

1-16 Chorus: They Loathed To Drink The River 2:02
1-17 Air: Their Land Brought Forth Frogs 2:20

1-18 Chorus: He Spake The Word 2:18
1-19 Chorus: He Gave Them Hailstones For Rain 2:15
1-20 Chorus: He Sent A Thick Darkness 2:55
1-21 Chorus: He Smote All The First Born Of Egypt 2:32
1-22 Chorus: But As For His People 3:59
1-23 Chorus: Egypt Was Glad 2:15
1-24 Chorus: He Rebuked The Red Sea 0:43
1-25 Chorus: He Led Them Through The Deep 1:29
1-26 Chorus: But The Waters Overwhelmed Their Enemies 1:08
1-27 Chorus: And Israel Saw That Great Work 0:51
1-28 Chorus: And Believed The Lord 2:57

CD 2
Part III: Moses' Song
2-1 Introitus - Chorus: moses and the children of Israel 0:50
2-2 Chorus: I Will Sing Unto The Lord 2:39
2-3 Duet: The Lord Is My Strength 3:35

2-4 Chorus: He Is My God ; Chorus: And I Will Exalt Him 3:13
2-5 Duet: The Lord Is A Man Of War 5:32
Bass Vocals – Henry Herford, Stephen Varcoe

2-6 Chorus: The Depths Have Covered Them 2:01
2-7 Chorus: Thy Right Hand, O Lord ; Chorus: And In The Greatness 2:05
2-8 Chorus: thou sentest forth my wrath 1:53
2-9 Chorus: And With A Blast Of Thy Nostrils 3:05
2-10 Air: The Enemy Said 2:27

2-11 Air: Thou Didst Blow With The Wind 2:09

2-12 Chorus: Wo Is Like Untot Thee, O Lord; Chorus: The Earth Swallowed Them 2:16
2-13 Duet: Thou In My Mercy 3:59

2-14 Chorus: The People Shall Hear 6:49
2-15 Air: Thou Shalt Bring Them In 3:51

2-16 Chorus: The Lord Shall Reign For Ever And Ever 0:40
2-17 Recitative: for the horse of pharaoh 0:27

2-18 Chorus: The Lord Shall Reign For Ever And Ever 0:40
2-19 Recitative: and miriam the prophetess 0:22

2-20 Chorus: Sing Ye To The Lord 3:34

Israel in Egypt is by far the most choral of all of Handel's oratorios. Indeed, Part II (which describes the plagues of Egypt with extraordinary vividness) is all chorus, apart from one short alto aria. For the most part, the King's College Choir, Cambridge, does a splendid job here. There's something unutterably beguiling about the freshness of children's voices in this context, especially when they are warmed with the delicate touch of vibrato which the "King's sound" requires. If the young singers do not have the sophistication of the adult female voices of, say, the Monteverdi Choir, they certainly have an unmistakable bloom. Cleobury keeps things very clear in the contrapuntal and fugal sections, but is less inspired in the passages that need more drama and orchestral color: the plagues of flies, lice, and locusts are woefully restrained, for example. The soloists, however, do their best to inject some theatricality during their arias. Ian Bostridge is in particularly fine form, and Susan Gritton sounds gorgeous. An attractive interpretation. -- Warwick Thompson

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