Handel - Joseph and His Brethren (Robert King) [1996]

Winton Dean, the, ahem, dean of modern Handel scholarship, considered Joseph and His Brethren one of Handel's weakest oratorios. Don't believe it: the music is wonderful, and even the libretto isn't nearly as bad as Dean makes out. The King's Consort gives the same high-quality performance it always gives to Handel's oratorios. James Bowman sounds particularly comfortable in the title role; while all the soloists are good, soprano Yvonne Kenny (who gets all the best arias) is terrific. –Matthew Westphal

Tracklisting:
CD1
1. Part I. Overture: Andante – Larghetto – Allegro – Menuet
2. Air: Be firm, my soul! nor faint beneath (Joseph)
3. Recitative: Joseph, thy fame has reach'd great Pharaoh's ear (Phanor, Joseph)
4. Air: Come, divine inspirer, come (Joseph)
5. Recitative: Pardon, that I so long forgot thee, Joseph! (Phanor, Joseph)
6. Air: Ingratitude's the queen of crimes (Phanor)
7. Recitative: Thus, stranger, I have laid my troubled thoughts (Pharaoh, Joseph)
8. Chorus: O God of Joseph, gracious shed thy spirit on thy servant's head (Egyptians)
9. Accompagnato: Pharaoh, thy dreams are one (Joseph)
10. Recitative: Divine interpreter! What oracle (Pharaoh, Joseph)
11. Air: O lovely youth, with wisdom crown'd (Asenath)
12. Recitative: Wear, worthy man, this Royal signet wear (Pharaoh)
13. Chorus: Joyful sounds, melodious strain! (Egyptians)
14. Recitative: Whence this unwonted ardourin my breast? (Asenath)
15. Air: I feel a spreading flame within my veins (Asenath)
16. Recitative: Fair Asenath (Joseph, Pharaoh, Potiphera, Asenath)
17. Duet: Celestial virgin! Godlike youth! (Joseph, Asenath)
18. Recitative: Now, Potiphera, instant to the temple (Pharaoh)
19. Grand march during the procession
20. Recitative: Tis done, – the sacred knot is tied (High Priest)
21. Chorus: Immortal pleasures crown this pair (Egyptians)
22. Recitative: Glorious and happy is thy lot, O Zaphnath! (Pharaoh)
23. Air: Since the race of time begun (Pharaoh)
24. Chorus: Swift our numbers, swiftly roll (Egyptians)
CD2
1. Part II. Chorus: Hail, thou youth, by Heaven belov'd! (Egyptians)
2. Recitative: How vaast a theme has Egypt for applause! (Phanor, Asenath)
3. Air: Our fruits, whilst yet in blowwom, die (Asenath)
4. Recitative: He's Egypt's common parent, gives her bread (Phanor)
5. Chorus: Blest be the man by pow'r unstain'd (Egyptians)
6. Recitative: Phanor, we mention not his highest glory! (Asenath, Phanor)
7. Air: Together, lovely innocents, grow up (Asenath)
8. Recitative: He then is silent, then again exclaims (Asenath)
9. Accompagnato: Where are these Brethren … why this base delay? (Simeon)
10. Air: Remorse, confusion, horror, fear (Simeon)
11. Recitative: This Hebrew prisoner (Phanor, Joseph)
12. Accompagnato: Ye departed hours (Joseph)
13. Air: The peasant tastes the sweets of life (Joseph)
14. Recitative: But Simeon comes (Joseph, Simeon)
15. Air: Impostor! Ah! my foul offence (Simeon)
16. Recitative: Whence, Asenath, this grief? (Joseph)
17. Air: The silver stream, that all its way (Asenath)
18. Recitative: Tell me, O tell me thy heart's malady (Asenath, Joseph, Phanor, Judah)
19. Air: To keep afar from all offence (Judah)
20. Chorus: Thus one, with ev'ry virtue crown'd (Brethren)
21. Accompagnato: Once more, O pious Zaphnath, at thy feet (Reuben, Judah)
22. Recitative: This kiss, my gracious Lord (Benjamin, Joseph, Judah)
23. Air: Thou deign'st to call thy servant 'son' (Benjamin)
24. Recitative: Sweet innocence! divine simplicity! (Joseph, Benjamin, Reuben, Judah)
25. Chorus: O God, who in thy heav'nly hand (Brethren)
CD3
1. Part III. Sinfonia: Allegro
2. Recitative: What say'st thou, Phanor? (Asenath, Phanor)
3. Air: The wanton favours of the great (Phanor)
4. Recitative: Whence so disturb'd, my Lord? (Asenath, Joseph)
5. Air: Ah Jealousy, thou pelican (Asenath)
6. Recitative: O wrong me not! thy Zaphnath never harbour'd (Joseph, Asenath)
7. Air: The people's favour, and the smiles (Joseph)
8. Recitative: Art thou not Zaphnath? Is not Egypt sav'd (Asenath)
9. Air: Prophetic raptures swell my breast (Asenath)
10. Recitative: They come, – and indignation (Joseph, Simeon, Phanor, Benjamin)
11. Accompagnato: What! without me? Ah, how return! (Benjamin)
12. Arioso: O pity! (Benjamin, Joseph)
13. Recitative: To prison with him! (Joseph, Simeon, Reuben)
14. Arioso: O gracious God (Simeon)
15. Chorus: Eternal Monarch of the sky (Brethren)
16. Recitative: But peace, Zaphnath returns (Simeon, Joseph, Judah)
17. Air: Thou hadst, my Lord, a father once (Simeon)
18. Recitative: Give, give him up the lad (Simeon)
19. Recitative: I can no longer (Joseph, Brethren)
20. Recitative: While the Nile and Memphis (Asenath, Joseph)
21. Duet: What's sweeter than the new-blown rose (Asenath, Joseph)
22. Recitative: With songs of ardent gratitude and praise (Joseph)
23. Chorus: Alleluia. We will rejoice in thy salvation

Performer:
Asenath - Yvonne Kenny (soprano)
Joseph - James Bowman (countertenor)
Potiphera, Phanor - Catherine Denley (mezzo-soprano)
Pharaoh, Reuben - Michael George (bass)
Benjamin - Connor Burrowes (treble)
Simeon, Judah - John Mark Ainsley (tenor)
The Choir of New College, Oxford
The Choir of the King's Consort
The King's Consort
Conductor - Robert King