Georg Friedrich Händel wrote his biblically themed oratorio Israel in Egypt in the autumn of 1738, basing it on text compiled by Charles Jennens, who also served as the librettist for Messiah. He wrote the piece in one month, as was typical of his working pace, and its premiere the following year proved to be, along with that of Saul, one of the most noteworthy events of the season. However, unlike its counterpart, the work failed to find universal success among the English audience of the time, probably due to the preponderance of choral movements. Handel's creation, however, would later go on to gain exceptional popularity in the 19th century, precisely because - historians tell us - of the key role of the choir. In this one-of-a-kind work, Handel developed the model for the choral oratorio: nineteen choral movements, with only four arias and three duets. Not for nothing is it referred to as a ‘choral epic'. The large-scale composition, which sets the exodus of the chosen people out of Egypt to music, paints a musical picture of the ten plagues with unparalleled inventiveness and travels across an impressive arc from the first part depicting the mourning for Joseph to the third part depicting the joy felt by the Jews upon their liberation and their song of thanksgiving to the Lord. Featured at our concert will be the second and third parts.

Presented by: Budafok Dohnanyi Orchestra