Haendel: Saul [Import]

"Struck the sweet persuasive lyre:/Soft gliding down his ravished ears,/The healing sounds dispel his cares" (Saul, IV).

When I first learned of this recording under Jacob's baton I was elated, if a tad annoyed at the promise of yet another superlative Saul (I own 5) while so many others (Susanah!!!) by Handel get short shrift. But no matter, I can wait...

This recording is great on many, many levels. The singing and playing are consistently and wonderfully dramatic, showing real knowledge of and attention to meaning and nuance in the score. Unlike so often in the past with baroque vocal music, the cast is flawless, as it should be: why in God's name use a third-rater countertenor, shrill soprano, nasal tenor, or chunky-sounding female alto when so many great singers are out there? Jacobs stands on the side of righteousness here. I would single out Rosemary Joshua (Michal), Lawrence Zazzo (David) and Jeremy Ovenden (Jonathan) for sheer beauty of tone, and Emma Bell (Merab)and Gidon Saks (Saul) for dramatic singing, exactly as their roles are conceived, showing Jacob's great instincts.

Lastly, and this is no small matter for the baroque opera/oratorio addict, this complete recording is on 2 disks (instead of the customary 3), nicely reducing the price. Let's hope this becomes the trend.

Though there are thankfully several very fine recordings of 'Saul', one of Handel's most successful 'operatic oratorios', this new release with René Jacobs conducting the Concerto Köln and RIAS-Kammerchor Berlin is by far the most intense and dramatic of the competition. Jacobs' style meshes perfectly with the Handel score and his tasteful embellishments for once enhance the drama rather than just stealing focus as brilliant playing. And his understanding of the choral music, which is so central to this work, is as fine as we are likely to hear.

The cast for this 'Saul' is uniformly excellent. While there are literally no 'big names' here, the ensemble cast is well chosen down to the smallest role. Jacob's draws flawless and seamless performances from Jeremy Ovenden (Jonathan), Lawrence Zazzo (David), Rosemary Joshua (Michal), Emma Bell (Merab), and Gidon Saks (Saul) - rightly in command of the atmospheric performance. But the smaller roles are equally well cast, especially young Michael Slattery who is rapidly gaining the attention of the major conductors in his work in opera ('Bastien and Bastienne', The Tristan Project - the Esa-Pekka Salonen/Peter Sellars/Bill Viola triumphant version of 'Tristan und Isolde', along with concert versions of Glass' 'Akhnaten' with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Mozart Requiem with the same forces, etc), Finnur Bjarnason, and Henry Waddington. It is refreshing to have the luxury of such fine singing!

For the power of drama that Handel's work holds, this is the recording of choice. It is successful on every level. Highly Recommended. Grady Harp, April 06

The key here is quite simple. As one of the other reviewers on this page has said, Saul is one of Handel's "operatic" oratorios. Who best to present same than Rene Jacobs? M. Jacobs has been criticized for an overly dramatic approach to choral music at the same time he has been soundly praised for the same quality. So it is up to you to decide. Unlike some of the other astute reviewers on this page, I have only a very old recording to compare Jacobs's performance to, and that comparison happens only in my head, since I no longer own the LP recording of that performance. In any event, the comparison would be invidious to say the least. What I hear in Jacobs' recording is a commitment to the score and more importantly, a commitment to the period that created this very great music.

As with most performances by this conductor, the drama is palpable. Go to the scene with the Witch of Endor for confirmation. The engineers at Harmonia Mundi, by the way, are very tasteful here, producing the de rigeur echo effects with eerie subtlety.

You want top-name performers? I'm sure you can find them elsewhere, but you won't find more committed or assured performances than are right here, on these two CDs.

Final enticement? Two CDs as opposed to three. So that's the package: a magisterial performance, fine performing forces top to bottom, and economy. Plus sound that is very fine: powerful, up front in the manner we expect from a production involving Rene Jacobs, but nonetheless realistic, with enough air to make the presentation easy on the ears. This is a model recording, in my opinion.

As to the music: It is not, I think, the equal of Handel's later Solomon, but it contains absolutely deathless music nonetheless and is in its entirety a masterpiece. Where to go for confirmation of its greatness? Maybe the famous Carillon Chorus (No. 23) or one of the big, martial choruses scattered throughout the score. Or, if you rightly think this is a psychological study of Saul, go to any of his tortured recitatives or arias after the ascendancy of David. All are astounding. For me, the great, tear-inducing number is No. 84, the chorus that laments the death of Jonathan. If you want to know why Handel is one of the two or three greatest composers that ever lived, here is Exhibit A (at least from Saul), dear friends.

So that's my take. I haven't heard many rival recordings, but knowing Handel, I think Jacobs turns in a very viable, and scintillatingly vital, performance of the score.