Reviewed by Steven Whitehead

This is an easy CD to review although it may have been more difficult to compile. Try this at home: list you 10 favourite Handel choruses and then compare and contrast with what is in this collection. "Hallelujah" from 'Messiah'? Of course. "Zadok The Priest"? Check. "Let The Bright Seraphim"? "See The Conquering Hero"? All present and correct and probably already in your collection if you have any sort of interest in Baroque choral music. But then they cannot be left out of this sort of collection, can they? However, Handel was such a prolific composer that there are plenty more to chose from. We get his personal favourite, "He Saw The Lovely Youth" from 'Theodora', which tells the story of how Jesus brought the son of the widow of Nain back to life, and a good selection of choruses both sacred and secular. From the former, my favourite is the title track, "The People Shall Hear!" from 'Israel In Egypt' and from the non-biblical works I was particularly struck by "Jealousy, Infernal Pest" from 'Hercules'. Unless you already own a comprehensive Handel collection there are bound to be some new additions here. The singing by The Bach Choir with soloists Carolyn Sampson (soprano) and Robin Blaze (counter-tenor) is very assured and the orchestral accompaniment from The English Concert is excellent. This is a great introduction to one aspect of the multi-facetted genius that was Handel although I am inclined to suggest that, for the same money, you could buy a complete 'Messiah' as well as a budget 'Best Of Handel' and get a more rounded picture of his work.

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