Solomon is an English oratorio by George Frideric Handel. The anonymous libretto is based on the biblical stories of wise king Solomon from the First Book of Kings and the Second Book of Chronicles with additional material from Antiquities of the Jews by ancient historian Flavius Josephus. The music was composed between 5 May and 13 June, 1748 and the first performance took place on 17 March, 1749 with Caterina Galli in the title role at the Covent Garden Theatre in London where it had two further performances. Handel revived the work in 1759. The oratorio contains a short and lively instrumental passage for two oboes and strings in Act Three, known as The Arrival of the Queen of Sheba, which has become famous outside the context of the complete work and was featured at the London Olympics in 2012. The introduction was also utilized by Handel for another oratorio: Israel in Egypt.
Posted on: Thu, 30 Oct 2014 17:07:26 +0000