Hardly any other work of Baroque music has such a clear-sighted impact on the present as George Frideric Handel’s oratorio Saul. Written in London in 1738, it tells the ancient story of the first king of Israel, whose jealousy of the young hero David leads to tragedy. But Saul is more than biblical history – it is a musical psychogram about power and humanity, about the dangerous pull of fame and the price of political vanity. Anyone looking today at the tensions between authority and change, old and new, will discover in Handel’s music an almost timeless reflection of our social and political upheavals.
With luminous choruses, haunting arias, and orchestral drama, Handel creates a gripping psychological drama that goes far beyond the religious subject matter. The characters are impressively portrayed: the fanatical fury of the king, David’s gentle strength, Jonathan’s loyalty, Michal’s quiet love. Virtuoso choruses alternate with moving arias and instrumental surprises – including the organ, which Handel himself played. This tonal diversity creates a dramatic force that extends far beyond the sacred.
Saul is a work about people in extreme situations – shockingly relevant in times of global power games, vulnerable democracies, and public spectacle. Handel’s music does not ask about winners or losers, but about human dignity in the storm of emotions. An oratorio that is more than a stage action: a musical mirror of our times.
PERFORMERS
Symphonischer Chor Hamburg choir
Elbipolis Barockorchester Hamburg orchestra
Jonathan Michie bass
Tobias Hechler alto
Ilker Arcayürek tenor
Magdalene Harer soprano
Karola Sophia Schmid soprano
Matthias Janz director
PROGRAM
Georg Friedrich Händel
Saul / Oratorium in drei Akten HWV 53
