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Brighton Orpheus Choir
conducted by Stella Hull |
Saturday 20 March 2010
7.30 pm
All Saints’ Church, The Drive, Hove
Handel Israel in Egypt |
| Israel in Egypt was written three years before Messiah,
and is the fifth of Handel's range of 19 oratorios. It is set for double chorus supported
by an orchestra of woodwind and strings enriched by trombones, trumpets, timpani and
harpschord continuo. A special characteristic of the work is its colourful painting
in music of scenes in the Exodus story. Some of the most famous are the buzzing
strings representing flies and locusts in the fourth plague of the Egyptians, savage brass
and timpani depicting hailstones, the aria telling of the plague of frogs, and the
swirling waters as the Red Sea closes over the Pharaoh's army. The narrative leads
to a triumphant chorus as the Israelites rejoice over their escape from slavery and look
forward to reaching their promised land. |
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George Frideric Handel (1685-1759)
In the year 2009, 250 years since Handel's death, there has been renewed interest
in the wide range and inventiveness of his music. |
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