-Craig-Fuller-jpg.jpeg?width=1200&auto=webp&crop=3%3A2)
When Dr Johnson described opera as “an exotic and irrational entertainment”, he was taking aim at works sung in Italian, for English audiences. Handel epitomised everything that Johnson was complaining about: not only was he German (he arrived in London in 1710), but he wrote to Italian texts, yet he was far and away England’s favourite opera composer.
Handel was always alert to market forces, so when, in the 1730s, religious rules forbade stage performances during Lent, he set about virtually inventing the English oratorio: music dramas based on biblical stories, but without scenery, acting or movement. Crucially, they were sung in English. Audiences loved them, and they still do, as witness last night’s sell-out performance of Saul, one of his grandest oratorios and the opening attraction of the 2026 London Handel Festival (LHF).
-Craig-Fuller.jpeg)
Drawn from the Old Testament, its plot has some of the tangled family tensions of Succession: Saul, king of Israel, feels threatened by the popularity of David, fresh from slaying Goliath. Matters deteriorate when Saul’s children, notably his son Jonathan, take a shine to David. Saul’s jealousy eventually turns to madness, and, to cut a long story short (the oratorio lasts two-and-a-half hours), when Saul and Jonathan are killed in battle, David becomes king. Cue general rejoicing.
The requisite large orchestra and choir was provided by the ensemble Arcangelo, founded in 2010 by Jonathan Cohen, now LHF’s artistic director. Directing from the harpsichord, he kept a firm grip on the oratorio’s broad dramatic sweep. His choir sang with frightening intensity, but there was also a subtle ebb and flow, gentle passages registering with full weight alongside mighty climaxes. Trombones and trumpets had a satisfyingly mournful rasp, woodwinds chattered mellifluously, even the recorders, often reviled, sounded mellow. Celestial harp and chiming carillon added unusual, not to say exotic touches while rifle-shot timpani shook the floor.
-Craig-Fuller.jpeg)
Saul has some surprising touches: a male witch, here dressed in hooded cape; the tender affection between David and Jonathan; a “Dead March” funeral anthem. The singers clearly enjoyed getting to grips with the elegant text by Charles Jennens (also librettist for Handel’s Messiah), even if it wasn’t always easy to make out the words.
Although this was a concert performance, the soloists acted just enough to clarify the drama. Sopranos Emőke Baráth Jessica Cale brought warmth and finesse to the roles of Saul’s daughters, while Hugh Cutting’s high-flying countertenor had the heroic flair required for David. The boldest singing, though, came from kilt-wearing Christopher Purves, quite willing to sacrifice a little vocal beauty for the sake of dramatic immediacy. His was a fully operatic incarnation, touched with a hint of the unstable: just what the role of Saul required.
London Handel Festival continues until April 3; london-handel-festival.com
