Susanna (Handel)
The thirteenth chapter of the book of Daniel, considered
Dramatis personae
Role | Voice | 1749 cast |
---|---|---|
Susanna | soprano | Giulia Frasi |
Joacim, her Husband | alto | Caterina Galli |
Chelsias, her Father | bass | Thomas Reinhold
|
Daniel | soprano | anonymous boy soprano |
First Elder | tenor | Thomas Lowe |
Second Elder | bass | Thomas Reinhold
|
Judge | bass | |
An Attendant | soprano | Signora Sibilla (Pinto née Gronamann) |
Chorus of Israelites | ||
Chorus of Babylonians | ||
Chorus |
Synopsis
Act 1
The Israelites, in chorus, lament their captivity. Susanna and her husband Joacim sing of their happiness in marriage and Susanna's father of his pride in having such a model wife as his daughter. Joacim must leave town for some days and husband and wife bid farewell. Two elders of the community, both filled with lust for the beautiful Susanna, plan to force themselves upon her during her husband's absence. The chorus comments that such wickedness will call down heaven's anger.
Act 2
Joacim, apart from his wife, sings of how much he misses her. Susanna, meanwhile, suffering from the hot weather, also misses her husband, and seeks relief from the sun by bathing in a stream in her garden. She is watched by the two elders whose advances she indignantly repulses. They take revenge by announcing to the community that they have caught Susanna having illicit sex with a young man and order her trial for adultery. Joacim is distressed to be informed of this by letter and returns home.
Act 3
Susanna is found guilty and condemned to death. The First Elder pretends to be greatly distressed by this outcome. The very youthful prophet Daniel, little more than a boy, steps forward from the crowd and demands to be allowed to question the two Elders separately. They give conflicting stories of where they caught Susanna in illicit sex and Daniel denounces them as liars. The Elders are sentenced to execution, Susanna is re-united with her loving husband, and all praise Susanna's virtue and chastity.[2]
Background and composition
After a series of patriotic English oratorios celebrating victory in the
Recordings
Year | Cast: Susanna, Joacim, Daniel, Chelsias, First Elder, Second Elder |
Conductor, orchestra and chorus |
Label |
---|---|---|---|
1989 | Lorraine Hunt Lieberson, Drew Minter,[3] Jill Feldman, William Parker,[4] Jeffrey Thomas,[5] David Thomas[6] |
Nicholas McGegan Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra and U. C. Berkeley Chamber Choir |
CD: Harmonia Mundi France Cat:HMU 907030.32 |
1999 | Elisabeth von Magnus, Sytse Buwalda, Ruth Holton, Tom Sol, John Elwes, Tom Sol |
Peter Neumann Collegium Cartusianum and Kölner Kammerchor |
CD:MDG Cat:332 0945-2 |
References
- ^ Andrew Pink. ‘Solomon, Susanna and Moses : locating Handel's anonymous librettist’. Eighteenth Century Music. Volume 12 / Issue 02 (September 2015) pp. 211-222.; accessed 6 April 2016
- ^ a b "Programme notes for Handel's "Susanna" at the Barbican, London" (PDF). Barbican Hall. 25 October 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 May 2013. Retrieved 12 September 2013.
- ^ "Drew Minter (Counter-tenor) - Short Biography".
- ^ "William Parker (Baritone) - Short Biography".
- ^ "Jeffrey Thomas (Conductor, Tenor) - Short Biography".
- ^ "David Thomas (Bass) - Short Biography".
External links
- Score on IMSLP
- Full score and libretto (ed. Friedrich Chrysander, Leipzig, 1858) - German language site; libretto is the original English, with additional German translation.
- Score and parts (ed. Center for Computer Assisted Research in the Humanitiesat Stanford University
- Complete libretto hosted by Stanford University.