Edinburgh International Festival 8th-31st August 2008

‘Intelligence and insight marked out Emmanuelle Haïm's handling of the score...'

- The Guardian

‘Haïm is pure dynamite.'

- The Daily Telegraph

Few would argue that Handel's Israel in Egypt matches the spiritual scope of Messiah or the dramatic weight of Samson, yet it is the duty of a progressive festival to present such lesser known works for re-evaluation.
 
Unusually in Handel's oratorio repertoire, the success of this work depends almost entirely on the quality of the chorus. The Edinburgh Festival Chorus, rejuvenated under the guidance of Christopher Bell, performed with focus and drive, but ultimately lacked the subtlety of inflexion required to bring this music fully to life: Handel's double choruses can jump off the page in a rainbow of exuberance, here they sounded merely dully academic.
 
Yet Emmanuelle Haim is evidently a conductor with exciting things to say; the SCO responded with charged dynamic contrast and surging dramatic momentum. Counter-tenor soloist Robin Blaze proved the highlight of the evening with a performance of understated expressiveness supplemented by crystal clear diction.
 
Israel in Egypt: worth revisiting? On the basis of this performance, the jury's still out.

- EIF Critic Fraser Riddell

THIS CONCERT WAS RECORDED BY BBC RADIO 3

- This concert will be broadcast on BBC Radio 3 on Tuesday 16 September at 7pm and will also be available to Listen Again at www.bbc.co.uk/radio3