Handel, Georg Frideric: Belshazzar

Belshazzar by Geoerg Frideric Handel
Cast: Robert Tear, Felicity Palmer, Maureen Lehane, Paul Esswood, Peter van der Bilt, Thomas Sunnergardh and Staffan Sandlund, with  Stockholm Chamber Choir, and Concentus Musicus Wien conducted by Nikolaus Harnoncourt.
Text by Charles Jennens
Label: Telefunken Das Alte Werk
Catalogue number: 6.35366
Country of Issue: Germany
Date: 1976
Stereo
Format: LP Boxed Set (4 discs plus booklet)
Label design:  Turquoise Das Alte Werk
Discs: Mint, unmarked
Outer box: Near Mint
Inner sleeves: original, polylined, as new
Booklet: full size 32pp, perfect apart from one small stain 1mm on front cover

This item appears as new throughout except as mentioned above. Acquired by us in 2007 as part of a large collection but never played since.

Belshazzar is one of Handel's Dramatic Oratorios, not quite opera and not just a concert oratorio..Handel began work on the piece in 1744 after the initial failure of Messiah (!). It did not acheive the popularity of similar works but was performed only 11 times up to 1885. It was revived in 1927 and has enjoyed severfal new productions since.  The libretto supplied to Handel is based on the Book of Daniel and was extraordinarily copious...  Handel made several scene cuts, and also left out one chorus and no less than 200 verses of the text.  This performance is one of the first to be treated to 'authentic period performance' and is excellent throughout.