Handel - Israel in Egypt HWV 54

Israel in Egypt, HWV 54 

by George Frideric Handel 

Performer: Emily van Evera (Soprano), David Thomas (Bass), Anthony Rolfe Johnson (Tenor), 

Nancy Argenta (Soprano), Jeremy White (Bass), Timothy Wilson (Alto) 

Taverner Players Orchestra, Taverner Consort Choir 

Andrew Parrott 

Israel in Egypt is not Handel’s most popular oratorio (that honor, of course, falls to Messiah ), but it has always been on the short list of choral societies because it is a chorus-laden work with rewarding, powerful, and moving music. In its original form, the overall architecture has the Exodus framed by two expansive anthems: the first mournful and the second joyful. What is most striking to me about this work is Handel’s conscious and effective use of the orchestra to portray the various plagues called down upon the Egyptians by Moses. In these, Handel employs the so-called doctrine of musical affections, or Affektenlehre . The listener cannot miss the leaping violin figurations in the aria “Their land brought forth frogs.” In the ensuing choruses, Handel calls into service a variety of techniques, including “buzzing” violins to conjure images of the flies and equally active and angry cellos and basses to portray locusts. There are staccato chords that mimic the striking down of the first-born Egyptian children, and eerie and unsettled harmonies depict the plague of darkness. Here, the use of low strings and bassoons ushers in the chorus, which soon leaves the impression that the parts are wandering away from each other as if they are becoming lost. 

Another aspect of Israel in Egypt that must be briefly touched on is Handel’s borrowing of music by other composers. He imported—either literally or after reworking the music­— material from Alessandro Stradella’s Qual prodigio è ch’io miri , a setting of the Magnificat by Dionigi Erba, and a setting of the Te Deum by one Francesco Urio. Handel also recycled music of his own, a practice that became quite regular during the 1730s. 

Using some of the finest early-music soloists of the day, Parrott and his forces give posterity a recording that welds tightly focused emotion to a laudable and uncommon feel for the music. The soloists produce appropriately light but well-focused tone and display an ability to negotiate the intricacies of Handel’s notes evenly and with an exceptional grasp of the phrasing required for successful performance. The choral lines are carefully etched and meticulously balanced, resulting in a superlative overall sound that—in spite of the small choir—is rich and capable of exceeding power when required. 

Without groveling to historical convention, Parrott achieves an enviable­­—and perhaps even the ultimate—marriage of musicology and musicality. The choruses and arias in parts II and III are conservatively paced, never rushed or driven, but I never feel that the tempos are sluggish or flaccid to the detriment of the music. Overall, there is deft execution, impeccable ensemble, and precise intonation. Parrott’s recording of Israel in Egypt is built on cognizance of Handel’s musical architecture and a desire to seek and master what lies beyond the printed page. All of this adds up to another inductee into our Classical Hall of Fame. 

FANFARE: Michael Carter