When Tom Hall leads the Baltimore Choral Arts Society in a musical extravaganza, he generally pulls out all the stops.
This Sunday in Kraushaar Auditorium at Goucher College, he will lead his chorus in a performance of Handel’s “Israel in Egypt.” A biblical oratorio based on the Old Testament’s Book of Exodus, the work will be performed in honor of the 60th anniversary of the founding of the State of Israel.
“The [piece] will be a vocal expression of Biblical proportion,” Hall said, “There will be a double chorus, full orchestra and five soloists.”
Those who naturally associate Handel with his great work, “Messiah” will be surprised to learn that the mid-18th century composer wrote eighteen oratorios, almost all of them based on what Christians call the Old Testament and what Jews refer to as the Hebrew Scripture.
Closely following the book of Exodus, “Israel in Egypt” tells of Jewish bondage at the hands of Pharaoh and the Egyptians. As the cry to let the Israelites go resounds, God sends a series of plagues on Egypt and ultimately parts the Red Sea for their escape.
With more than 30 movements structured into arias and full chorus, “Israel in Egypt” is a typical illustration of Handel’s love of opera and musical drama. He composed several operas for his fellow Englishmen in Italian until his audiences (who in the mid-1700s identified with the Israelites in their belief that they too were a chosen people) requested works in English. Hence, the oratorio — a story based on sacred or biblical works set to music — was created.
Written in 1738 — three years before the “Messiah” — Handel was, according to Hall “at the top of his game [and] writing some of his very best music.”
In “Israel in Egypt,” an entire aria is devoted to the plague of frogs, while the chorus sings of the flies, the lice and locusts sent down as punishment from God.
“This is a wonderful, very descriptive piece,” said soloist Thom King, a cantor at Beth El Synagogue in Pikesville. “It tells of victory over oppression [and] God’s deliverance through faith.”
IF YOU GO
Israel in Egypt
Venue: Goucher College, Kraushaar Auditorium
1021 Dulaney Valley Road, Baltimore 21204
When: 3 p.m. Sunday
Tickets: $25-$38;
Info.: 410-523-7070; www.baltimorechoralarts.org
The 3 p.m. concert will be preceded by a “Choral Conversation” at 2 p.m. which includes Tom Hall and an inter-faith panel discussing the relevance of the text.
