George Frideric Handel (1685-1759)
Alexander’s Feast HWV 75
Miriam Kutrowatz (soprano), Daniel Johannsen (tenor), Damien Gastl (bass)
Arnold Schoenberg Chor
Zefiro Baroque Orchestra/Alfredo Bernardini
rec. live, 21 June 2024, Styriate Festival, Helmut List Halle, Graz, Austria
Libretto in English, German & Italian
Arcana A585 [82]

Sometimes I feel like a dinosaur when I realise that my first acquaintance with works dates from so long ago; such is the case with Handel’s Alexander’s Feast, as the only recording I have of it on my shelves is from 1975, conducted by Philip Ledger and issued first on EMI then Virgin Classics. Despite my liking the piece, which was one of Handel’s greatest successes in the oratorio genre, I have always gritted my teeth when enduring Robert Tear’s contribution, as I find his constricted tenor uncongenial, but his co-singers – Helen Donath, Sally Burgess and a young Thomas Allen – always provided compensation. It was high time, then, to encounter an modern alternative in the form of this new recording from an excellent ensemble, Zefiro, whose sparkling Royal Fireworks recording I rated highly in my review.

I must say, however, that the old recording has worn very well. It is of course in modern pitch, a semitone higher, rather statelier and less inclined to accentuate dotted rhythms than Bernardini but still sprung and lively – and I must confess that I prefer the slightly fuller sound of the English Chamber Orchestra using modern instruments, but both accounts fall very pleasingly on the ear. The work’s subtitle is “The Power of Musick” and it really is one of the most consistently uplifting and inspired of Handel’s scores; little wonder that it was so well received and has endured as one of his most approachable works.

We first hear Austrian light lyric tenor Daniel Johannsen, whose English is utterly impeccable and idiomatic. His is the kind of voice I am sure Handel envisaged singing his music and it is devoid of the kind of constriction which for me mars Robert Tear’s vocalisation. Likewise, the spritely Arnold Schoenberg choir enunciates beautifully. Soprano Miriam Kutrowatz sings very prettily but her diction is much less distinct than Helen Donath’s – in fact it often turns plummy – and her voice is considerably less vibrant. Ms Donath has just turned 85 as I write and this recording is as good as any for reminding us of her excellence. The “bass” arias were sung for Ledger by Thomas Allen, who was never any such thing. Admittedly, he is singing at a higher pitch and at a rather more sedate pace, but his voice is so much more expressive and penetrating than Damien Gastl’s muddy and undistinguished bass and I find Ledger’s horn soloists to be more interesting than Bernardini’s. The new recording certainly adopt tempi more in line with modern practice but I would not say that it generates more dramatic tension than the old account and the live sound is actually not as distinct as the old studio recording.

In brief, with the notable exception of the tenor contribution here, nothing about this new recording sways my atavistic loyalty to the vintage version.

Ralph Moore

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