Israel in Egypt Reviews

Reviews of Recommended Recordings of Handel’s Israel in Egypt


King’s College Choir, Cambridge; Steven Cleobury, Conductor: Uses original
instruments and pitch. Includes all three parts of Israel in Egypt, and in the correct
order. One of the great rewards of this recording is not only the full-bodied choral
singing, but a superb cast of soloists, especially tenor Ian Bostridge, who always
gives his music great dramatic flair. The chorus is an augmented King’s College
Choir: normally they are men and boys only, but in this case they have rightfully
added female singers. The dramatic choral contrasts are not as vivid as in John Eliot
Gardiner’s recording (see below). Cleobury’s conducting is a little heavy-handed at
times in the more delicate sections of the piece. The choir’s sound reminds me
much of our own choral sound. Available as a CD and as an MP3 download.

Aradia Ensemble; Kevin Mallon, Conductor: This Canadian recording done in 2008
by the early music group Aradia Ensemble uses a 28-voice choir and original
instruments and pitch. It includes all three parts of Israel in Egypt. The soloists are
all superb. The choir has faultless diction. The recording at St. Anne Anglican
Church in Toronto is first class. The church ambience is just right. The performance
does not have the choral contrasts of Gardiner’s recording (see below), but it is a
superb performance with just the right amount dramatic emphasis. Mallon’s
tempos are medium, and he takes a more lyric approach allowing the performance
to fully reveal the dramatic impact of the story as well as the glories of Handel’s
music. I recommend this recording highly and on the same level as Andrew
Parrott’s (see below). Available as a CD and as an MP3 download.

Taverner Choir & Players; Andrew Parrott, Conductor: Uses original instruments
and pitch. Includes all three parts of Israel in Egypt in the right order and uses
current scholarship as its source. This is the newest recording. It was made in 2009
and is excellent in all respects. It does not have the dramatic contrasts of Gardiner’s
recording (see below), but it keeps an overall emotional tent over the performance,
reflecting the 40-year struggle of Moses and the Children of Israel. There is great
lyric quality to Parrott’s approach, as opposed to Gardiner’s rather declamatory
approach. There is an intimacy to this performance you will not find in the others.
The soloists, especially tenor Anthony Rolfe Johnson and soprano Nancy Argenta,
are all excellent and the choir is stunning in precision. Parrott’s tempos are
reasonable. His conducting is never heavy-handed, and it reveals all the details of
Handel’s masterful writing. Available as a CD and as an MP3 download.

Monteverdi Choir & Orchestra; John Eliot Gardiner, Conductor: The 1992 re-release
of the 1980 recording featured on our website includes all three parts of Israel in
Egypt but does not use original instruments or pitch. A 2009 re-release of a 1990
recording of this piece does not include all three parts but does use original
instruments and pitch. Both recordings are excellent. These are definitive
performances. If you want the full dramatic vigor of Israel in Egypt, there is nothing
better. Fortunately, Gardiner does not take the already brisk pace of the piece too
fast. The chorus is superb and stunningly precise, and the choral contrasts are what
make these performances come alive. The soloists are all superb. The 1980
recording is available as a CD only, and the only reasonable price of this earlier
performance is for a used copy; the 1990 recording is available both as an imported
CD and as an MP3 download.

Choir of Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford; Simon Preston, Conductor: Does not use
original instruments or pitch. Includes only parts two and three of Israel in Egypt
(the parts we will be singing). As with Gardiner’s performance (see above), this one
is considered classic, but in the Victorian tradition of Handel. This is definitely a
romantic approach to Handel and there is absolutely no intent to make this a period
performance. The performance is blessed to have the wonderful tenor Ian Bostridge
(also in Cleobury’s performance, above) and good team of soloists (including the
exceptional Andrew Davis), who invest in all the drama of the text. The choral
forces are large and a little removed from the microphone and lack some of
precision of the other performances. Handel’s Chandos Anthem no. 10 is a bonus
piece. Available as a CD but not as an MP3 download, and the only reasonable price
is for a used CD.








- Recordings reviewed by John Chase, a bass with SF Choral. Mr. Chase has broad
experience as a freelance music critic, through Creative Arts International, for which
he has reviewed performances up and down the West Coast for the past ten years.
He also contributes, both as editor and writer, to various music publications and
schools. Recently, he was contributing writer and editor to a large work in the
Czech Republic entitled “Dvořák: Master of the Melody,” in celebration of Antonín
Dvořák’s 170th birthday in 2011. Mr. Chase has a minor in Music History/
Musicology from the University of Michigan, with additional graduate coursework at
Duke University.