Handel: Saul

Featuring

Harry Christophers
Christopher Purves
Dame Sarah Connolly
Robert Murray
Elizabeth Atherton
Joélle Harvey

Mark Dobell
Jeremy Budd
Stuart Young
Eamonn Dougan
Ben Davies
Thomas Raskin
The Sixteen Orchestra
The Sixteen
George Frideric Handel

Did you know?

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Interpretation

The recording uses a mezzo-soprano for the role of David, a choice justified by Handel's later revivals and the original autograph score.

Compositional Technique

Handel's Saul features an extraordinary orchestration, including trombones, a deep-sounding drum, and a carillon, an instrument Handel commissioned as it was unknown in England.

Composition History

Saul was Handel's first collaboration with librettist Charles Jennens, who also selected texts for Handel's Messiah and other oratorios.

Historical Context

The story of Saul and David in the oratorio held strong parallels for 18th-century English audiences, who saw themselves as God's chosen people and looked to the Old Testament for lessons in government.

Composition History

Handel's oratorio Saul was written between July 23 and September 27, 1738, and first performed on January 16, 1739, when the composer was 53.

Compositional Technique

Saul was revolutionary for its time, being Handel's first dramatic work with a bass lead, the first English oratorio with a male lead, and the longest English music theatre work to date.

Recording & Production

This recording of Handel's Saul is based on the critical edition made by the late Anthony Hicks, a Handel scholar who solved the conundrum of David's part.