Thomas Beecham, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Beecham Choral Society - Handel: Solomon; Love in Bath (2005)
Thomas Beecham, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Beecham Choral Society - Handel: Solomon; Love in Bath (2005)
EAC | FLAC | Image (Cue & Log) ~ 787 Mb | Total time: 76:03+74:29 | Scans included
Classical | Label: EMI | # 5 86516 2 | Recorded: 1955-1957,1959
EAC | FLAC | Image (Cue & Log) ~ 787 Mb | Total time: 76:03+74:29 | Scans included
Classical | Label: EMI | # 5 86516 2 | Recorded: 1955-1957,1959
There was a time, not long ago, when Baroque scores were treated as a folio of performance suggestions, not as the letter of the law. Performers felt free to add music or (more often) to take it away, and to do other things which were quite different from what the composer originally had in mind. Sir Thomas Beecham had no qualms about performing surgery on the music of George Frideric Handel, a composer he absolutely adored. No disrespect was intended. In fact, Beecham loved Handel so much, he wanted everyone else to love him too. That meant making him more palatable for modern tastes – bigger and leaner, at the same time.
By today's standards, what Beecham did to Solomon in his 1955-56 recording of the oratorio is a crime. He cut a great deal of music (the episode of Solomon settling the child custody dispute between two harlots is totally excised), moved other numbers around, made Solomon into a baritone (Handel wrote the part for a countertenor), and beefed up the scoring. The result represents the English choral tradition at its best, albeit also its most Victorian. Even at the time of its release, several critics cried "foul," although the records sold well, especially when they were reissued on the budget Seraphim label.
Beecham's Solomon was not reissued on CD until recently. First, the Somm label did it, at full price, and with no coupling. Now, almost immediately after, EMI Classics has done it at a super-budget price (this is a reissue in the "Gemini" series), and with the coupling of Love in Bath. It's a pretty obvious choice between the two.
Inauthentic as it is, this performance is treasurable, and it brims over with the conductor's love. Every note of the score – what's left of it, that is – is filled with life and excitement. The soloists – a classic line-up for the era – sing superbly, and with reasonable sympathy for Handelian style. Stand-outs for me include Young's "Golden columns fair and bright" and Marshall's "Will the sun forget to streak," both in the latter half of the score. The Beecham Choral Society sings lustily, and without the crispness and accuracy we would expect from today's more authentic performances and recordings. Nevertheless, the sheer force of their sound is astonishing, and the separation of the double choirs across the two speakers creates dramatic effects. This is a new digital remastering. It cannot hide the roughness of an early stereo recording, but the sound does not get in the way of the performance.
Handel arranged Love in Bath from several Handel scores. As the ballet The Great Elopement, this was Beecham doing to Handel what Rosenthal did to Offenbach in Gaïtè Parisienne. It's very entertaining – pour a glass of sherry for this one! – but even further removed from Handel than Beecham's Solomon. EMI Classics reissued this recording on CD about 15 years ago, and it is good to have it back, for those who didn't acquire it the first time. It is a perfect coupling for Solomon. The original sessions were spread across several dates in 1956, 1957, and 1959.–Raymond Tuttle
Performer:
Solomon – John Cameron
Queen – Elsie Morison
Zadok – Alexander Young
Queen of Sheba – Lois Marshall
Beecham Choral Society
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Conductor – Thomas Beecham
Tracklist:
George Frideric Handel (1685-1759)
CD1:
01. Overture
02. Part I: Your harps and cymbals sound (Chorus of Priests)
03. Recitative: Almighty Power, who rul'st the earth and skies (Solomon)
04. With pious heart and holy tongue (Chorus of Priests)
05. Recitative: Imperial Solomon, thy prayers are heard (Zadok)
06. Air: Sacred raptures cheer my breast (Zadok)
07. Recitative: Blest be the Lord (Solomon)
08. Air: What though I trace each herb and flower (Solomon)
09. Air: Bless'd the day (Queen)
10. Recitative: Thou fair inhabitant of Nile (Solomon, Queen)
11. Duet: Welcome as the dawn of day (Solomon, Queen)
12. Recitative: When thou art absent from my sight (Queen)
13. Air: With thee the unsheltered moor I'd tread (Queen)
14. Recitative: My blooming fair, come, come away (Solomon)
15. May no rash intruder disturb their soft hours (Chorus)
16. Sinfonia
17. Recitative: From Arabia's spicy shores (Queen of Sheba, Solomon)
18. Air: Ev'ry sight these eyes behold (Queen of Sheba)
19. Recitative: Sweep, sweep the string to soothe the royal fair (Solomon)
20. Solo and Chorus: Music, spread thy voice around (Solomon, Israelites)
21. Air and Chorus: Now a diff'rent measure try (Solomon, Israelites)
22. Recitative: Then, at once, from rage remove (Solomon, Chorus of Israelites)
23. Recitative: Next the tortured soul release (Solomon)
24. Thus rolling surges rise (Chorus)
25. Recitative: Thy harmony's divine, great King! (Queen of Sheba)
26. Part II: From the censer curling rise (Chorus)
27. From the East unto the West (Chorus of Israelites)
CD2:
01. Recitative: Thrice happy King! (Zadok)
02. Air: Golden columns, fair and bright (Zadok)
03. Air: Beneath the vine (First Harlot)
04. Recitative: Gold now is common on our happy shore (Solomon)
05. Air: How green our fertile pastures look! (Solomon)
06. Swell the full chorus to Solomon's praise (Chorus of Priests)
07. Recitative: May peace in Salem ever dwell (Queen of Sheba)
08. Air: Will the sun forget to streak (Queen of Sheba)
09. Recitative: Adieu, fair Queen (Solomon)
10. Praise the Lord (Chorus)
Love in Bath (Suite aranged by Beechm from Handel):
11. 1. The Pump Room
12. 2. Beau Nash
13. 3. The Linleys
14. 4. Hunting Dance
15. 5. Love Scene
16. 6. The Quuarrel
17. 7. The Pump Room (reprise)
18. 8. The Plot
19. 9. The Weary Flunkeys
20. 10. The Exquisites (Madrigal)
21. 11. Second Love Scene
22. 12. March
23. 13. Sarabande
24. 14. Minuet
25. 15. Hornpipe
26. 16. Rondeau
27. 17. Gigue
28. 18. March (represe)
29. 19. Interlude
30. 20. Serenade (Ilse Hollweg, soprano)
31. 21-22. The Elopement – Discovery – Finale
Exact Audio Copy V1.6 from 23. October 2020
EAC extraction logfile from 8. September 2022, 18:44
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Exact Audio Copy V1.6 from 23. October 2020
EAC extraction logfile from 8. September 2022, 20:36
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==== Log checksum 914CD4C78E603781C1DBFB8759D223D5D2FC00E95BA42C32EA7945CB10D40B5C ====
Thomas Beecham, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Beecham Choral Society - Handel: Solomon; Love in Bath (2005)
