Prom 8: OAE forces thrill in Handel's Judas Maccabaeus

By James Potter, 23 July 2012

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Reviewed at Royal Albert Hall, London on 19 July 2012

Handel, Judas Maccabaeus

John Mark Ainsley, Judas Maccabaeus

Rosemary Joshua, Jewish Woman

Christine Rice, Jewish Man

Tim Mead, Jewish Priest

Choir of the Age of Enlightenment

Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment

Laurence Cummings, Director

Alastair Miles, Simon

Mixed Mozart from the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment

Dominic Lowe, 26th February

A Mozart's of symphonies – his last – under conductor Robin Ticciati is capped with a fine Jupiter, but is let down by the performances of its two predecessors.

***11

John Butt and the OAE celebrate Handel's Solomon

Roy Westbrook, 12th October

The Queen of Sheba is clearly in a hurry in this account of Handel's oratorio at the Queen Elizabeth Hall.

*****

Enescu Festival immersion: Bach on the street, Klimt in the forest

Peter Quantrill, 11th September

At the George Enescu International Festival, a pair of new shows crossing genres and reinventing the classics, with mostly enlightening results.

****1

Brandstrup Breaking Bach with the OAE at EIF

Kathy Elgin, 20th August

Kim Brandstrup choreographs Bach favourites based on hip hop and street dance. Lie back on the bean bags at Usher Hall and enjoy...

****1

A strong new Figaro opens at Glyndebourne

Dominic Lowe, 29th June

Mariame Clément is a popular director at Glyndebourne, and her new production of Figaro shows her trademark approach to hardhitting comedy.

****1

Glyndebourne's Saul still packs a punch 10 years on

Nick Boston, 8th June

Returning from the original run, Christopher Purves and Iestyn Davies were joined by a strong cast and chorus for a revival of Barrie Kosky's striking production.

*****

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James Potter

James Potter is a musician and writer based in Oxford, with a diverse portfolio of work including singing, playing, editing, transcribing, and writing about music. He enjoys a wide variety of styles, with an especial interest in early music performance, and blogs on the interactions of music and video games here.