George Frideric Handel composed the oratorio »Samson« immediately after »Messiah«, which is probably his best-known and most popular oratorio today. During Handel’s lifetime, however, »Samson« was hardly less popular than »Messiah«: By 1759, the work had been performed 55 times in London alone.
The story of Samson from the Old Testament is still familiar in its broad outlines today: Samson, the leader of the people of Israel with superhuman strength, allows himself to be seduced by Delilah and reveals to her the secret of his strength – it lies in his long hair. Whilst he sleeps, Delilah cuts off his hair, enabling the Philistines to overpower him, take him captive and blind him. Yet, placing his trust in God, the now-blind and chained hero regains his strength, brings down the enemies’ temple and ultimately perishes amidst the ruins.
With its 19 choral movements, »Samson« features an exceptionally high proportion of magnificent choruses, which have contributed significantly to the work’s great popularity. Yet Handel employs the choruses for far more than mere musical highlights: they are artfully woven into the plot and intensify the emotional states and inner conflicts of the characters. Thus, despite its numerous choruses, Samson is not a choral drama, but a masterpiece of musical characterisation, in which Handel sets the dramatic plot and the emotional states of his protagonists to music in a striking manner. The Monteverdi Choir Hamburg, the lautten compagney BERLIN and a renowned ensemble of soloists bring this masterpiece back to life under the baton of Antonius Adamske.
PERFORMERS
Monteverdi-Chor Hamburg choir
lautten compagney BERLIN ensemble
Daniel Johannsen tenor
Jeanine De Bique soprano
Sreten Manojlović bass
Henryk Böhm bass
Alex Potter alto
Dorota Szczepańska soprano
Antonius Adamske conductor
