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"The tremendous impact of Handel's oratorios... Israel in Egypt"
(Wolfram Frey in "Pforzheimer Zeitung")


Dear ladies and gentlemen,
dear friends of K&K,

"No historical painting and no Hollywood movie of monumental proportion comes close to the visual power and the expressiveness of the music by George Frideric Handel, which he composed for the biblical story of the exodus of the Israelites from the Egyptian slavery... "Israel in Egypt" occupies most impressively the tremendous impact and power of Handel's oratorios..." These words were written about the concert in the church of Maulbronn Monastery in 2009.

Indeed... the fifth of the nineteen oratorios which Handel composed in England shows impressively, that words and music can have an impact - even without visual stimulation.

During the second half of the 17th century there were trends toward the secularization of the religious oratorio. Evidence of this lies in its regular performance outside church halls in courts and public theaters. Whether religious or secular, the theme of an oratorio is meant to be weighty. It could include such topics as Creation, the life of Jesus, or the career of a classical hero or biblical prophet. Other changes eventually took place as well, possibly because most composers of oratorios were also popular composers of operas. They began to publish the librettos of their oratorios as they did for their operas. George Frideric Handel also wrote secular oratorios based on themes from Greek and Roman mythology. He is also credited with writing the first English language oratorio.

"Israel in Egypt" was written in 1738, the composition of the whole colossal work occupying but twenty-seven days. It was first performed April 4, 1739, at the King's Theatre, of which Handel was then manager. It is essentially a choral oratorio. It comprises no less than twenty-eight massive double choruses, linked together by a few bars of recitative, with five arias and three duets interspersed among them. Unlike Handel's other oratorios, there is no overture or even prelude to the work. Therefore - exactly how conductor Jürgen Budday did it - many artists starts the performance of "Israel in Egypt" with the Overture from the Oratorio "Solomon". Especially because of the fact, that Handel replaced in 1756 the first part of "Israel in Egypt" (which was originally a funeral anthem for Queen Caroline) through an shortened version of the first act from his oratorio "Solomon".

The main parts in "Israel in Egypt" are performed by the chorus, which is a contrast to Handel's earlier oratorios. This oratorio contains 28 double-choruses!

Finally we are proud to present you in our Maulbronn Monastery Edition the 10th Handel-Oratorio from this concert-cycle, which is documented on disc, and invite you viewing all details, a photo gallery of the performance, a music-video and our selection of MP3 music files from the 2-CD-Box at: http://www.kuk-art.com/en/c/handel-israel.html.

We wish you a lot of pleasure
and stay with kindest regards

Josef-Stefan Kindler
& Andreas Otto Grimminger
K&K Verlagsanstalt Germany
www.kuk-art.com
mail@kuk-verlagsanstalt.com

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All Details
George Frideric Handel
Israel in Egypt
Unedited version of the English Oratorio HWV 54 from 1739,
performed according to the traditions of the time
with
Miriam Allan & Sarah Wegener ~ Soprano
David Allsopp ~ Altus/Countertenor
Benjamin Hulett ~ Tenor
Steffen Balbach & Daniel Raschinsky ~ Bass
Hanoverian Court Orchestra
Maulbronn Chamber Choir
Conductor: Jürgen Budday
A concert in the church of the UNESCO World Heritage Site Maulbronn Monastery, Sept. 2009
2-CD-Box, DDD, Duration: ca. 96 minutes, KuK 17, ISBN 978-3-930643-17-2, EUR 33,-

This live recording is part of a cycle of oratorios and masses, performed in the basilica of Maulbronn Abbey under the direction of Jürgen Budday. The series combines authentically performed oratorios and masses with the optimal acoustics and atmosphere of this unique monastic church. This ideal location demands the transparency of playing and the interpretive unveiling of the rhetoric intimations of the composition, which is especially aided by the historically informed performance. The music is exclusively performed on reconstructed historical instruments, which are tuned to the pitch customary in the composer's lifetimes (this performance is tuned in a' = 415 Hz). With "Israel in Egypt" you listen to the 10th Handel-Oratorio from this concert-cycle, which is documented on disc.


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Maulbronn Monastery CD Series
English Oratorios by George Frideric Handel
The documentation of performances according to the traditions of the time
at the German UNESCO World Heritage Site Maulbronn Monastery,
conducted by Jürgen Budday.

Still released:

George Frideric Handel · Jephtha
with Emma Kirkby (Soprano), Melinda Paulsen (Mezzo-soprano),
Charles Humphries (Altus/Countertenor), Julian Podger (Tenor), Stephen Varcoe (Bass)
Maulbronn Chamber Choir, Monastery Baroque Orchestra
Conductor: Jürgen Budday
Doppel-CD, DDD, ISBN 3-930643-60-X, KuK 60

George Frideric Handel · Samson
with Sinéad Pratschke (Soprano), Michael Chance (Altus/Countertenor),
Mark Le Brocq (Tenor), Raimund Nolte (Bariton), David Thomas (Bass)
Maulbronn Chamber Choir, Monastery Baroque Orchestra
Conductor: Jürgen Budday
Doppel-CD, DDD, ISBN 3-930643-62-6, KuK 62

George Frideric Handel · Judas Maccabaeus
with Sinéad Pratschke (Soprano), Catherine King (Mezzo-soprano),
Charles Humphries (Altus/Countertenor), Mark Le Brocq (tenor), Christopher Purves (Bass)
Maulbronn Chamber Choir, Musica Florea Prag
Conductor: Jürgen Budday
Doppel-CD, DDD, ISBN 3-930643-71-5, KuK 71

George Frideric Handel · Saul
with Nancy Argenta (Soprano), Laurie Reviol (Soprano), Michael Chance (Altus/Countertenor),
Mark Le Brocq (Tenor), Michael Berner (Tenor), Stephen Varcoe (Bass), Steffen Balbach (Bass)
Hanoverian Court Orchestra, Maulbronn Chamber Choir
Conductor: Jürgen Budday
Doppel-CD, DDD, ISBN 3-930643-83-9, KuK 83

George Frideric Handel · Solomon
with Nancy Argenta (Soprano), Laurie Reviol (Soprano),
Michael Chance (Altus/Countertenor), Julian Podger (Tenor), Steffen Balbach (Bass)
Hanoverian Court Orchestra, Maulbronn Chamber Choir
Conductor: Jürgen Budday
Doppel-CD, DDD, ISBN 3-930643-73-1, KuK 73

George Frideric Handel · Belshazzar
with Miriam Allan (Soprano), Michael Chance (Altus/Countertenor),
Patrick van Goethem (Altus, Countertenor), Mark Le Brocq (Tenor), André Morsch (Bass)
Hanoverian Court Orchestra, Maulbronn Chamber Choir
Conductor: Jürgen Budday
Doppel-CD, DDD, ISBN 3-930643-67-7, KuK 67

George Frideric Handel · Messiah
with Miriam Allan (Soprano), Michael Chance (Altus/Countertenor),
Mark LeBrocq (Tenor), Christopher Purves (Bass)
Hanoverian Court Orchestra, Maulbronn Chamber Choir
Conductor: Jürgen Budday
Doppel-CD, DDD, ISBN 3-930643-20-0, KuK 20

George Frideric Handel · "Der Messias"
Messiah in the German arrangement by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
with Marlis Petersen (Soprano), Margot Oitzinger (Alto),
Markus Schäfer (Tenor), Marek Rzepka (Bass)
Hanoverian Court Orchestra, Maulbronn Chamber Choir
Conductor: Jürgen Budday
Doppel-CD, DDD, ISBN 978-3-930643-61-5, KuK 61

George Frideric Handel · Joshua
with Miriam Allan (Soprano), David Allsopp (Altus/Countertenor),
Mark Le Brocq (Tenor), James Rutherford (Bass)
Hanoverian Court Orchestra, Maulbronn Chamber Choir
Conductor: Jürgen Budday
Doppel-CD, DDD, ISBN 978-3-930643-07-3, KuK 07

George Frideric Handel · Israel in Egypt
with Miriam Allan (Soprano), Sarah Wegener (Soprano),
David Allsopp (Altus/Countertenor), Benjamin Hulett (Tenor),
Steffen Balbach (Bass), Daniel Raschinsky (Bass),
Hanoverian Court Orchestra, Maulbronn Chamber Choir.
Conductor: Jürgen Budday.
Doppel-CD, DDD, ISBN 978-3-930643-17-2, KuK 17

and:

Maulbronn Monastery CD Series 1998-2008
The Power of Handel
George Frideric Handel ~ Best of his glorious Oratorios
Outstanding Extracts with Soloists, Choir & Orchestra from the Oratorios
Jephtha ~ Samson ~ Judas Maccabaeus ~ Saul ~ Belshazzar ~ Solomon ~ Messiah ~ Joshua
Performances in English according to the traditions of the time with the Maulbronn Chamber Choir
and soloists such as Miriam Allan, Nancy Argenta, Catherine King, Sinéad Pratschke, Melinda Paulsen,
Michael Chance, Mark Le Brocq, Charles Humphries, Christopher Purves, James Rutherford, Stephen Varcoe et. al.
Conductor: Jürgen Budday
Recordings of concerts at the UNESCO World Heritage Site Maulbronn Monastery, 1998-2008
CD Audio, ca. 82 minutes, DDD, ISBN 978-3-930643-44-8, KuK 44