Handel: Oratorios - Harnoncourt, Concentus Musicus Wien (9 CDs)

Handel: Oratorios (Messiah, Saul, Alexander's Feast, Belshazzar, Ode on St Cecilia's Day)

These five splendid works for vocal soloists, chorus and orchestra were composed by Handel in the 1730s and 1740s. Treating both sacred and secular themes, they are inspired by the same dramatic genius that made Handel a master of opera. Conducting a dazzling array of soloists and Concentus Musicus Wien, the groundbreaking ensemble he established in the early 1950s, Nikolaus Harnoncourt unfolds their narratives with his customary flair, precision and immediacy.

Handel: Messiah
Concentus Musicus Wien
Nikolaus Harnoncourt
Elizabeth Gale (soprano), Marjana Lipovsek (alto), Werner Hollweg (tenor), Roderick Kennedy (bass)

Handel: Saul
Concentus Musicus Wien
Nikolaus Harnoncourt
Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau (Saul), Anthony Rolfe Johnson (Jonathan), Paul Esswood (David), Julia Varady (Merab), Elizabeth Gale (Michal), Helmut Wildhaber (Witch of Endor, Amelikite, High Priest), Matthias Hölle (Samuel)

Handel: Alexander's Feast
Concentus Musicus Wien
Nikolaus Harnoncourt
Felicity Palmer (soprano), Anthony Rolfe Johnson (tenor), Stephen Roberts (bass)

Handel: Belshazzar
Concentus Musicus Wien
Nikolaus Harnoncourt
Felicity Palmer, Maureen Lehane, Robert Tear, Paul Esswood, Peter van der Bilt & Thomas Sunnegårdh

Handel: Ode for St Cecilia's Day, HWV76
Concentus Musicus Wien
Nikolaus Harnoncourt
Felicity Palmer (soprano), Anthony Rolfe Johnson (tenor), Stephen Roberts (bass)