Part 1 from Queen's Hall, London
(Sole Lessees, Messrs. Chappell and Co. Ltd.)
HANDEL
Leon Goossens (oboe)
Fernando Germani (organ)
The BBC Choral Society
(Chorus Master, Leslie Woodgate )
The BBC Symphony Orchestra
(ninety players)
Leader, Paul Beard
Conducted by SIR HENRY J. WOOD
Concerto grosso No. 4, in A minor
1 Largo affettuoso — Allegro. 2 Largo. 3 Allegro
8.15 The Plague Choruses (Israel in Egypt)
1 He spake the Word. 2 He gave them Hailstones. 3 He sent a Thick Darkness. 4 He smote all the Firstborn
THE BBC CHORAL SOCIETY
8.29 Oboe Concerto No. 3, in G minor
1 Grave. 2 Allegro. 3 Largo. 4 Allegro -
(Solo oboe, LEON GOOSSENS )
8.41 Music for the Royal Fireworks
8.56 Organ concerto No. 9, in B flat
(set 2, No. 3) (Hallelujah)
1 Allegro con spirito. 2 Minuet. 3 Andante larghetto. 4 Allegro con anima (Poco maestoso)
(Solo organ, FERNANDO GERMANI)
9.16 Coronation Anthem, The King shall Rejoice
THE BBC CHORAL SOCIETY
Handel touched in turn the highest mark of success and the lowest level of failure. He had powerful friends and equally powerful enemies, but his great strength was his own indomitable spirit. Like the proverbial Englishman, Handel never knew when he was beaten. When his sight began to fail, at first he was crushed under the blow, but his powerful will and dogged courage soon asserted themselves. He sent for an amanuensis and once again took up the threads of his work with increased energy. He practised and played his harpsichord for hours on end, and insisted upon playing the organ in performances of his oratorios. He played from memory and extemporised: giving sound to that wonderful music endlessly passing through his mind. He even played concertos at Covent Garden. And the crowds came in their thousands to enjoy the emotional spectacle of the blind old Titan defying Fate.
Handel did not write for immortality ; he wrote for the pleasure of a society willing to pay for musical entertainment that was graceful and dignified in bearing. Yet Handel achieved immortality because he possessed the genius that transcends the petty dictates of fashion.
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