A couple of years before I started this blog I sang in a performance of Israel in Egypt<\/i> with the Brandon Hill Singers. (It was I think the last performance with orchestra that the choir ever gave.) Apart from Deborah<\/i><\/a> with the Chandos Singers, it is the only oratorio by Handel, other than Messiah<\/i>, that I’ve ever done.<\/p>\n I was invited to sing it again in a performance in Oxford this month, but sadly had to pull out because of illness. I was sorry about this, not just because I had been looking forward to revisiting this work (although it’s a big sing, and I was doing the other soprano part this time with only hazy memories of any of it!), but also because of the venue. All Saints Lime Walk, Headington isn’t one of my spiritual homes from home, but I was confirmed there (it was known as All Saints Highfield in those days). It is notable for having had for some years the longest-serving parish priest in the Church of England; he was well into his 63-year tenure when I first came across him.<\/p>\n Back to Israel in Egypt<\/i>. Handel’s oratorios, like Haydn’s Masses, are a big gap in my performing history. I think the problem may be the popularity of Messiah<\/i> with audiences, which ensures it can be put on to fill the coffers. If you’ve done that, you probably don’t want to perform another Handel oratorio in a season with maybe only three or four concerts in total. I will continue to look out for chances to at least explore Saul<\/i>, Judas Maccabaeus<\/i> and the rest.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A couple of years before I started this blog I sang in a performance of Israel in Egypt with the Brandon Hill Singers. (It was I think the last performance with orchestra that the choir ever gave.) Apart from Deborah … Continue reading