George Frideric HANDEL (1685 - 1759)
Judas Maccabeus (1747) [128.09]
Israelitish Woman - Maria Soledad de la Rosa (soprano)
Israelitish Man - Mariana Rewerski (mezzo)
Priest/Messenger - Fabian Schofrin (alto)
Judas Maccabeus - Makoto Sakurada (tenor)
Simon Maccabeus - Alejandro Meerapfel (baritone)
Eupolemus - Etienne Debasieux (bass)
Choeur de Chambre de Namur; Les Agremens/Leonardo Garcia Alarcon
rec. abbatial church of Ambronay, France, 26 September 2009
AMBRONAY AMY024 [64.05 + 64.04]
This new recording of Handel's patriotic reaction to the 1745 Jacobite rebellion
comes with a rather exotic pedigree. The choir is from Namur, the orchestra
is also French, the conductor Argentinean and the soloists, judging by their
names, come from a variety of non-anglophone countries.
The lack of a tradition of singing in English in Southern Europe has inhibited
the growth of performance of Handelian oratorio alongside other baroque pieces.
But, as conductor Leonardo Garcia Alarcon points out in his notes in the CD
booklet, throughout his career Handel worked with Italian singers in polyglot
performances. All well and good, but the proof of any recording is in the
listening.
And from the first notes of the overture, this performance has terrific vividness
and drama. Les Agremens are a decent-sized band, with 15 string players. Under
Alarcon's lively direction they give Handel's overture a crisp and infectious
impetus which carries you away.
This is carried over into the first duet, From this dread scene, between
Maria Soledad de la Rosa and Mariana Reweski. Both have strong voices but
with a good feel for Handel's line. De la Rosa has a distinctive timbre -
which reminded me of mezzo-soprano Susan Bickley - giving the line a strength
not always found in Handelian sopranos. The soloists are all allocated to
the named roles so that Reweski is the Israelitish Man, de la Rosa the Israelitish
Woman.
Alejandro Meerapfel is Simon (Judas Maccabeus's brother). Meerapfel's lovely
baritone and capability with baroque idiom stands out on a disc where all
the soloists are strong. I loved Meerapfel's voice, his focused flexibility
and the way he makes the words tell. Despite singing English with a strong
accent, he made sure that the text was comprehensible.
In the title role Makato Sakurada sings with elegance, but lacking the bravura
and dramatic strength which the role needs.
Alto Fabian Schofrin provides strong support in the smaller roles of the Priest
and the Messenger.
The Choeur de Chambre de Namur are a fine chamber choir, numbering some twenty
singers and they give a fine musical performance of the score. They show a
compatibility with this music that would be the envy of many English choruses.
But their English is by no means perfect, and as with many non-English choirs
in this repertory, they just don't make enough of the words. Oratorio is about
text and narrative; it is important that the choir's significant role in this
is not compromised.
The soloists all do a heroic job at projecting the English text and all sing
with strong accents; you would never mistake this for an Anglophone performance.
And it is to the group's credit that they have note taken the easy route and
cast the soloists from Anglophone or Scandinavian singers.
Alarcon uses two instrumental movements from Joshua (the Solemn March
and the Introduction to Act 3) as well as giving the priest the aria Cease
thy anguish from Athalia.
Over and above the language issue, there is one item which might annoy purists.
Alarcon makes extensive use of the harpsichord and plucked continuo in the
choruses, where Handel's habit was to use organ continuo in the choruses.
Judas Maccabeus is not one of the top-rank Handel oratorios, but it
has some terrific moments. Here it is given a vivid and involving performance
by Alarcon, his French choir and orchestra and polyglot soloists; they respond
to the drama in Handel's music. If you can get beyond the limitations of the
sung English then this is for you.
Robert Hugill