HANDEL: JOSEPH AND HIS BRETHREN
Composer:
George Frideric Handel
Performers
Sherezade Panthaki, soprano
Gabrielle Haigh, soprano
Diana Moore, mezzo-soprano
Abigail Levis, mezzo-soprano
Nicholas Phan, tenor
Philip Cutlip, baritone
Philharmonia Chorale, Bruce Lamott, director
Conductor
Nicholas McGegan
Label
Philharmonia Baroque Productions
Release Date
April, 2019
Description
Nicholas McGegan has been called a “Handel master” by The San Francisco Chronicle and is considered a foremost Handel scholar around the world. So who better to present the rarely performed Joseph and his Brethren than Nic McGegan and Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra & Chorale. Handel’s unfairly neglected—yet splendid—oratorio depicts the grandeur of Pharaoh’s court in an intriguing plot of familial conflict and mistaken identity. With a cast of favorites including Diana Moore and Nicholas Phan, Nicholas McGegan and his historically informed Orchestra and Chorale present a lively studio recording of the program that delighted audiences and critics alike.
“…a beautifully rendered collection of arias and choruses done with characteristic zeal under the leadership of Music Director Nicholas McGegan.”—Joshua Kosman, San Francisco Chronicle
“His [McGegan’s] beats—springy and upward-moving—animate his stellar orchestra and chorale…”—Paul Hertelendy, ARTSSF
“…conductor Nicholas McGegan led his period-instrument orchestra in a rhythmically pulsating score…”—James MacBean, The Berkeley Daily Planet
“McGegan’s sense of pacing was masterful…” —The Newsletter of the American Handel Society
Among Handel’s large-scale works, Joseph and his Brethren is one of the most neglected. This recording is only the second commercial issue of the oratorio, and the first in over twenty years. Yet in Handel’s lifetime, the work proved rather popular, with a warm initial reception and revivals for decades to come. Joseph’s eighteenth-century popularity was attested to by the simple fact that Handel programmed the work season after season.
This release was recorded at the Scoring Stage, Skywalker Sound, Nicasio, CA | December 18-20, 2017. It marks the Orchestra’s 11th recording under its Philharmonia Baroque Productions label and adds to its growing list of rare recordings.
This recording is made possible by a generous gift from the Waverley Fund. © and ℗ 2019 Philharmonia Baroque Productions.