Israel in Egypt
George Frideric Handel
A journey along the banks of the Nile and to the Holy Land penned by Handel.
Dates
Thaïs Raï-Westphal | soprano I
Melissa Petit | soprano II
Avery Amereau | alto
Rupert Charlesworth | tenor
Andreas Wolf | bass I
Matthieu Walendzik | bass II
Le Concert Spirituel Orchestra & Choir
Hervé Niquet | direction
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Sung in English, with French/English subtitles
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Approx. running time : 3h10
About
Israel in Egypt holds a special place in Handel’s oeuvre and is certainly one of his most daring oratorios for choruses. Like his Messiah two years later, it is entirely based on sacred texts, but it was nevertheless created to be performed in theatres.
The work illustrates the ten plagues of Egypt one by one and Israel’s return to the Promised Land. Handel rarely uses recitative in the manner of a Bach Passion or Mozart opera, and the bulk of the narrative is delivered by the choruses.
Production Théâtre des Champs-Élysées