Although Israel in Egypt was first performed on 4 April 1739 in tripartite form, Handel probably first composed this oratorio without a complete text. Herve Niquet has chosen to record the version in two parts that Berlioz and the whole of the 19th century considered definitive, these being the Exodus and the Song of Moses. Produced just after the Covid pandemic, this recording also shows the joy of Le Concert Spirituel's singers and instrumentalists at making music together again: Herve Niquet says the final chorus "is a cry of happiness in unison" and sees an "almost palpable drama in these works: the two choruses face each other on either side of the orchestra and respond to each other in violent retaliations and monumental unisons. Their interweaving in diabolical movements is like a theatrical staging before our very eyes."

Set during the Roman Civil W War (49-45 BCE), Handel's "Giulio Cesare" is an intense drama filled with romance, tragedy and political intrigue. The plot centers on Cleopatra's campaign to seduce Julius Caesar in order to enlist his support in her becoming Queen of Egypt. Handel's music breathes the atmosphere of the Baroque with virtuosic vocal fireworks and subtle arias. This acclaimed production is given a modern setting populated by power-hungry oligarchs who are placed by director Calixto Bieito into 'a digital dream world in a desert paradise'.

Set during the Roman Civil W War (49-45 BCE), Handel's "Giulio Cesare" is an intense drama filled with romance, tragedy and political intrigue. The plot centers on Cleopatra's campaign to seduce Julius Caesar in order to enlist his support in her becoming Queen of Egypt. Handel's music breathes the atmosphere of the Baroque with virtuosic vocal fireworks and subtle arias. This acclaimed production is given a modern setting populated by power-hungry oligarchs who are placed by director Calixto Bieito into 'a digital dream world in a desert paradise'.

In London in 1736, the Baroque genius Handel celebrated the power of music with his oratorio about Alexander the Great, one of the greatest successes of his life. Covent Garden was never so full as on the evening of the premiere. For this original English version, Alfredo Bernardini unites the fantastic voices of the Arnold Schoenberg Choir with his lively Zefiro Baroque Orchestra. The three soloists Miriam Kutrowatz, Daniel Johannsen and Damien Gastl tell the ancient story of how the singer Timotheus was once able to change the mood of the great Alexander, evoking a whirlwind of diverse emotions, highlighting the power of music over politics and war.

SAUL, ALEXANDERS FEAST

GREAT ORATORIOS

OPERA ARIAS MEZZO SOPRANO

GIULIO CESARE

SERSE

MESSIAH

OTTONE

In the summer of 1717, after performing his Water Music during a royal cruise on the Thames, Handel began composing for James Brydges (1674-1744), who became the first Duke of Chandos and created the Cannons Concert at his estate in Cannons (near Edgware), with ten instrumentalists and three singers. Handel composed eleven anthems and a Te Deum for him from August 1717 onwards, as well as transposing and revising As pants the hart (HWV 251b). O sing unto the Lord a new song (HWV 249b) is an adaptation of an anthem written three years earlier for the Chapel Royal. The anthem Have mercy upon me, O God (HWV 248) was composed in 1717 and is a paraphrase of the Miserere. The Alleluia of Let God arise (HWV 256a) prefigures the famous Hallelujah chorus from Messiah (1741). Arcangelo and Jonathan Cohen now revive these four Chandos anthems composed for Cannons with eight singers and eleven excellent instrumentalists.

The magnificent Christopher Purves performs a recital of Handel's bass arias. This unique collection demonstrates the range and brilliance of Handel's writing for this voice, featuring a selection from Italian and English operas, English classical drama, Biblical oratorios, literary odes and a masque. Handel's endlessly imaginative gift for characterization is fully explored here, with Purves commanding an extraordinary emotional and technical range from the buffo blustering of Polyphemus in Acis and Gatalea to the loving musings of Abinoam in 'Tears, such as tender fathers shed' from the oratorio Deborah. 'With his acting chops and weighty bass-baritone, Purves in full cry is a splendid and fearful spectacle' (The Times)

Sir Neville Marriner conducts this 250th Anniversary performance. Soloists include Sylvia McNair, Anne Sofie Van Otter.

Handel's "Water Music" was performed for the first time in 1717 at a royal celebration with a grand parade of boats on the Thames and the patron, King George I, was so enthusiastic that the young Handel had to repeat it several times. It is rousing, catchy, graceful and jubilant at the same time - a triumphant success to this day. The popular "Music for the Royal Fireworks" was composed for the fireworks display in London's Green Park on April 27, 1749, with which King George II celebrated the end of the War of the Austrian Succession and the Peace of Aachen. The suite was conceived for a gigantic wind ensemble - originally for an outdoor performance. Immediately after the first performance, Handel produced a version for string orchestra with wind instruments. It was in this version that it began it's triumphal march through the concert halls of the world. W. A. Mozart described the music to the royal fireworks as a "spectacle of English pride and joy". The Collegium 1704 under it's conductor Vaclav Luks has made a name for itself for it's detailed and subtle interpretations and it's great joy in playing. These attributes also come to the fore in the Collegium's new CD and allow Handel's "Water & Fire" to shine in royal splendor.