Symphony Plants A Rare Kiss On Handel's `Judas Maccabaeus'

Yes, he wrote the "Messiah."

But that oratorio, masterly though it is, is merely the tip of the Handelian iceberg.

It's time to consider the other Handel, starting with a vast array of great and neglected stuff produced by one of history's most versatile and prodigious composers.

Especially at this time of year, there's another Handel oratorio that is just as suited to the season as the ubiquitous "Messiah" you'll hear over and over again. This year, the Seattle Symphony Orchestra is giving equal time to the oratorio "Judas Maccabaeus," to be presented at 8 p.m. tomorrow in the Opera House, with Gerard Schwarz conducting and a cast of first-rate soloists: Jane Thorngren, Julie Mirel, Melvyn Poll and Julian Patrick (443-4747; there's also a catered post-concert reception).

Why "Judas Maccabaeus"?

The oratorio's libretto, by Thomas Morell, is based on the first book of Maccabees (in the Apocrypha), with some additional facts from Josephus' "Antiquitates Judaicae." Along with an account of the heroic exploits of Judas Maccabaeus, the oratorio tells the story of the origins of Hanukkah, the Feast of Lights (which begins at sundown next Saturday, Dec. 19).

In the year 169 B.C., the Syrians fought the Jews, taking over the temple at Jerusalem and inaugurating an era of oppression and war. Judas later took command of the Israelite forces upon the death of his father, and after some reverses, the foes were decisively routed. When Jerusalem was again in Israelite hands, the temple's Menorah was relit with a small flask of holy oil, sufficient only for one day, which burned for eight days - the miracle that Hanukkah celebrates.

Aside from this seasonal timeliness, what's compelling about "Judas Maccabaeus" is the great quality of the music. This is Handel at his best: rousing choruses urging the warrior onward, heroic calls to arms, soulful tributes to liberty, arias crammed with beautiful tunes. Every possible mood is represented, with jolly music and mournful dirges and hymns (including the famous "Hail, the conquering hero comes").

For the celebration of the Feast of Lights in the third act, Handel wrote the lovely "Father of heav'n," a serene melody that can stand with the composer's best. For Judas' call to battle, he wrote "Sound an alarm," which begins with small forces and eventually rouses all the trumpets, drums and chorus - and you'll be unlikely to see anyone in the Opera House snoozing through that.

Handel had more in mind than the history of the Maccabees when he wrote "Judas." The composer was having a tough time in 1745, only four years after the triumphant premiere of the "Messiah." English audiences for his oratorios were dwindling. Out of favor, with his health and spirits suffering, Handel slunk off to the country to recuperate.

The only way to return to au courant status was to write something really timely, and Handel had his opportunity in the Jacobite rebellion that threw a tremendous scare into the English. The Scottish Prince Charles Edward Stuart (Bonnie Prince Charlie) advanced into England with his forces, scoring several decisive victories before the Duke of Cumberland (known to generations of Scottish patriots as "Butcher Billy" Cumberland) routed the Scots in the 1746 Battle of Culloden.

The outcome of that bloody battle was disastrous to the Scots: a scorched countryside, torched homes, slain and exiled families, even a ban on wearing the tartan. It was anything but disastrous for Handel, however, who found a chance to recoup his fortunes by celebrating the English victory in a speedily-written oratorio. In the fashion of the day, he used a historical event as a parallel with a contemporary one, knowing his audience would understand the connection with the victorious Judas and the more recently victorious Cumberland.

It worked: After the successful premiere, "Judas" restored Handel's popularity. Not surprisingly, it also won the grateful admiration of London's Jewish community (there were probably about 5,000 Jews in England at the time), with its first presentation of a heroic Jewish figure on the English stage. Handel wrote several other oratorios based on Jewish history: "Joshua," "Israel in Egypt," "Susanna," "Solomon" and "Jephtha."

These oratorios, along with the huge operatic output, are now the subject of a mammoth revival of the "other Handel" on some first-rate new recordings. In the Pacific Northwest, we've long had an exemplary performance history of these neglected works: Conductors such as George Shangrow and Gregory Vancil must be smiling to see the international music community finally discovering oratorios they have been conducting here for some 20 years.

Here's an abbreviated list of some of these new recordings.

-- "Judas Maccabaeus" (Hyperion): Robert King conducts a period performance, with authentic instruments at baroque pitch, and soloists well accustomed to this performance style (starting with the glorious Emma Kirkby).

-- "Saul" (Philips): A vivid performance of this often neglected minor masterpiece; this one has John Eliot Gardiner and his English Baroque Soloists (plus the stirring Monteverdi Choir), and Alastair Miles in the title role.

-- "Theodora" (Harmonia Mundi): Billed as Handel's favorite oratorio, this one is the first complete recording of this tragic work, with Nicholas McGegan conducting the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra in a scintillating reading. The chief attributes are soloists Lorraine Hunt and Drew Minter.

-- "Belshazzar" (Archiv): Trevor Pinnock conducts the English Concert and Choir, plus some first-rate soloists (Anthony Rolfe Johnson, Arleen Auger, James Bowman) in this huge score with its great choruses and vivid word-painting.

-- "Messiah" (Telarc): Martin Pearlman and the Boston Baroque base this expressively detailed period performance on the Dublin version; the soloists aren't yet famous (Karen Clift, Catherine Robbin, Bruce Fowler, Victor Ledbetter), but they're very good.

-- "Muzio" (Newport Classics): This is an opera, not an oratorio, but it's a delightful discovery all the same in this lively reading by Rudolph Palmer and the Brewer Baroque Chamber Orchestra. There's a surfeit of fine singers: D'Anna Fortunato, Julianne Baird, John Ostendorf and Erie Mills lead the list.

-- "Acis and Galatea" (Delos): Not brand-new, but worth pursuing all the same, is this recording by the Seattle Symphony and Gerard Schwarz.