Handel: Belshazzar
Symphonischer Chor Hamburg / Elbipolis Barockorchester Hamburg / Matthias Janz
Menetekel
The fascinating effect of horror stories is undisputed: For thousands of years, people have been telling themselves »Black Stories« – and »Belshazzar« is one of them. The story is about a Babylonian king who, during a wine-fuelled feast, desecrates golden goblets and cups and praises his own gods. Thereupon the words »Mene mene tekel upharsin« appear in ghostly fashion on the wall, written in enigmatic characters. The party society shudders, but the summoned magicians and sages cannot interpret the writing. Only the biblical prophet Daniel translates the words and explains that God will punish the king and divide up his land. That same night, Belshazzar is murdered. The story has inspired many poets and painters. The best known are certainly Rembrandt’s »The Banquet of Belshazzar« and Heinrich Heine’s wonderfully gruesome ballad: »The shrill laughter died away, and the hall was hushed. «
George Frideric Handel gave us a particularly fascinating artistic adaptation of the material: his librettist Charles Jennens combines the Old Testament narrative with Greek historical sources from Herodotus and Xenophon and heightens the drama of the material through the role of the doubting-warning Nitocris.
The masterful musical realisation of the action immediately captivates listeners, connecting us with the characters as we see the disaster coming. The large, powerful choruses are juxtaposed with narrative recitatives and a filigree use of instruments. The concert-goers will never forget the individual violin notes that make the appearance of the characters audible and palpable through goose bumps.
Performers
Symphonischer Chor Hamburg
Elbipolis Barockorchester Hamburg
Karola Schmid soprano
Wiebke Lehmkuhl alto
Franz Vitzthum countertenor
Mirko Ludwig tenor
Yorck Felix Speer bass
conductor Matthias Janz
Programme
Georg Friedrich Händel
Belsazar / Oratorio for Soloists, Mixed Choir and Orchestra