Belshazzar

Album by George Frideric Handel & Les Arts Florissants & William Christie

Belshazzar is an oratorio by George Frideric Handel, composed in 1744. Musically, it employs Baroque choral writing, solo arias, recitative and a full orchestra, which dramatises the biblical narrative and forms part of Handel's later English-oratorio output.

About

Disc 1

  1. 1.
    Belshazzar: Overture
    2:40
  2. 2.
    Belshazzar: Act I. Scene 1. 1. Accompagnato ed Arioso (Nitocris) "Vain fluctuating state of human empire!"
    4:28
  3. 3.
    Belshazzar: Act I. Scene 1. 2a. Aria (Nitocris) "Thou, God most high, and Thou alone"
    4:36
  4. 4.
    Belshazzar: Act I. Scene 1. 2b. Recitative (Nitocris) "The fate of Babylon, I fear, is nigh" - Scene 2. 3a. Recitative (Nitocris, Daniel) "O much belov'd"
    1:14
  5. 5.
    Belshazzar: Act I. Scene 2. 3b. Air (Daniel) "Lament not thus, O Queen, in vain!"
    4:58
  6. 6.
    Belshazzar: Act I. Scene 3. 4. Chorus of Babylonians "Behold by Persia's hero made"
    2:27
  7. 7.
    Belshazzar: Act I. Scene 3. 5a. Recitative (Gobrias) "Well may they laugh, from meagre famine safe" - 5b. Accompagnato (Gobrias) "Oh memory"
    1:27
  8. 8.
    Belshazzar: Act I. Scene 3. 6. Aria (Gobrias) "Opprest with never ceasing grief"
    3:57
  9. 9.
    Belshazzar: Act I. Scene 3. 7. Aria (Cyrus) "Dry those unavailing tears"
    1:54
  10. 10.
    Belshazzar: Act I. Scene 3. 8a. Recitative (Cyrus) "Be comforted: safe tho' the tyrant seem" - 8b. Accompagnato (Cyrus) "Methought, as on the bank of deep Euphrates" - 8bis. Recitative (Cyrus, Gobrias) "Now tell me Gobrias"
    3:58
  11. 11.
    Belshazzar: Act I. Scene 3. 9. Aria (Gobrias) "Behold the monstrous human beast" - 10a. Recitative (Cyrus) "Can you then think it strange, if drown'd in wine"
    3:47
  12. 12.
    Belshazzar: Act I. Scene 3. 10b. Aria (Cyrus) "Great God! who yet but darkly known" - 11a. Recitative (Cyrus) "My friends, be confident, and boldly enter"
    4:09
  13. 13.
    Belshazzar: Act I. Scene 3. 11b. Chorus "All empires upon God depend"
    3:27
  14. 14.
    Belshazzar: Act I. Scene 4. 12. Arioso (Daniel) "O sacred oracles of truth!"
    4:53
  15. 15.
    Belshazzar: Act I. Scene 4. 13a. Accompagnato (Daniel) "Rejoice, my countrymen: the time draws near" - 13b. Recitative (Daniel) "For long ago" - 14. Accompagnato (Daniel) "Thus saith the Lord to Cyrus his anointed"
    3:00
  16. 16.
    Belshazzar: Act I. Scene 4. 15. Chorus "Sing, O ye Heav'ns, for the Lord hath done it"
    4:16

Disc 2

  1. 2.
    Belshazzar: Act I. Scene 5. 16a. Aria (Belshazzar) "Let festal joy triumphant reign" - 16b. Recitative (Belshazzar, Nitocris) "For you, my friends, the nobles of my court"
    6:45
  2. 3.
    Belshazzar: Act I. Scene 5. 17. Aria (Nitocris) "The leafy honours of the field"
    7:10
  3. 4.
    Belshazzar: Act I. Scene 5. 18a. Recitative (Belshazzar, Nitocris) "It is the custom; I may say, the law"
    1:35
  4. 5.
    Belshazzar: Act I. Scene 5. 18b. Chorus of Jews "Recall, O king, thy rash command"
    2:32
  5. 6.
    Belshazzar: Act I. Scene 5. 19a. Recitative (Nitocris, Belshazzar) "They tell you true; nor can you be to learn"
    1:18
  6. 7.
    Belshazzar: Act I. Scene 5. 19b. Duet (Nitocris, Belshazzar) "O dearer than my life, forbear"
    4:45
  7. 8.
    Belshazzar: Act I. Scene 5. 20. Chorus of Jews "By slow degrees the wrath of God to its meridian height ascends"
    6:08
  8. 9.
    Belshazzar: Act II. Scene 1. 21. Chorus "See, from his post Euphrates flies!" - 22. Semichorus "Why faithless river dost thou leave" - 23. Semichorus "Euphrates hath his task fulfil'd" - 24. Chorus "Of things on earth, proud man must own"
    6:33
  9. 10.
    Belshazzar: Act II. Scene 1. 25a. Recitative (Cyrus) "You, see my friends, a path into the city" - 25b. Aria (Cyrus) "Amaz'd to find the foe so near" - 26. Chorus of Persians "To arms, to arms, no more delay"
    6:07
  10. 11.
    Belshazzar: Act II. Scene 2. 27. Chorus "Ye tutelar gods of our empire, look down"
    2:52
  11. 12.
    Belshazzar: Act II. Scene 2. 28. Aria (Belshazzar) "Let the deep bowl thy praise confess"
    2:35
  12. 13.
    Belshazzar: Act II. Scene 2. 29a. Accompagnato and Chorus (Belshazzar) "Where is the God of Judah's boasted pow'r?"
    2:41
  13. 14.
    Belshazzar: Act II. Scene 2. 29b. Recitative (Belshazzar) "Call all our Wiseman, sorcerers, Chaldeans" - 30. Symphonie
    1:45
  14. 15.
    Belshazzar: Act II. Scene 2. 31a. Recitative (Belshazzar) "Ye sages, welcome always to your king" - 31b. Trio (Wisemen) "Alas! too hard a task the king imposes" - 32a. Chorus "O misery! O terror! hopeless grief!"
    2:12
  15. 16.
    Belshazzar: Act II. Scene 2. 32b. Recitative (Nitocris, Belshazzar) "O king, live for ever!" - 32c. Recitative (Belshazzar) "Art thou that Daniel, of the Jewish captives?" - 33. Aria (Daniel) "No: to thyself thy trifles be"
    2:58
  16. 17.
    Belshazzar: Act II. Scene 2. 34. Accompagnato (Daniel) "Yet to obey his dread command" - 35. Accompagnato (Daniel) "Thou, O King, hast lifted up thyself" - 36. Recitative (Nitocris) "O sentence too severe! and yet too sure!"
    3:54
  17. 18.
    Belshazzar: Act II. Scene 2. 37. Aria (Nitocris) "Regard, O son, my flowing tears"
    6:22

Disc 3

  1. 3.
    Belshazzar: Act II. Scene 3. 38a. Aria (Cyrus) "O God of truth! O faithful guide!" - 38b. Recitative (Cyrus) "You, Gobrias, lead directly to the palace"
    5:16
  2. 4.
    Belshazzar: Act II. Scene 3. 39. Chorus "O glorious prince! thrice happy they"
    4:57
  3. 5.
    Belshazzar: Act III. Scene 1. 40a. Aria (Nitocris) "Alternate hopes and fears distract my mind" - 40b. Recitative (Nitocris, Daniel) "Fain would I hope. Is there not room to hope?"
    4:42
  4. 6.
    Belshazzar: Act III. Scene 1. 41a. Aria (Daniel) "Can the black Æthiop change his skin?" - 41b. Recitative (Nitocris, Arioch, Messenger) "My hopes revive, here Arioch comes: by this"
    3:26
  5. 7.
    Belshazzar: Act III. Scene 1. 42. Chorus of Jews "Bel boweth down! Nebo stoopeth"
    1:29
  6. 8.
    Belshazzar: Act III. Scene 2. 43. Aria (Belshazzar) "I thank thee, Sesach, thy sweet pow'r" - 44. A martial Symphony
    2:05
  7. 9.
    Belshazzar: Act III. Scene 3. 45a. Aria (Gobrias) "To pow'r immortal my first thanks are due" - 45b. Recitative (Cyrus) "Be it thy care, good Gobrias, to find out"
    2:23
  8. 10.
    Belshazzar: Act III. Scene 3. 46. Aria (Cyrus) "Destructive war thy limits know"
    2:20
  9. 11.
    Belshazzar: Act III. Scene 3. 47a. Duett (Nitocris, Cyrus) "Great victor, at your feet I bow" - 47b. Recitative (Cyrus, Daniel) "Say, venerable prophet, is there ought"
    5:58
  10. 12.
    Belshazzar: Act III. Scene 3. 48. Soli and Chorus (Nitocris, Gobrias, Daniel) "Tell it out among the heathen, that the Lord is King"
    1:38
  11. 13.
    Belshazzar: Act III. Scene 3. 49. Accompagnato (Cyrus) "Yes, I will build thy city, God of Israel"
    1:37
  12. 14.
    Belshazzar: Act III. Scene 3. 50. Anthem (Daniel, Nitocris, Chorus) "I will magnify thee, O God my king"
    7:00

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