Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-06-13


wait until the Tooth version Of
Beethoven,s Fifth before any
Of the major" recording COM
panies begin devoting respect
able attention to Handel. but
fortunately something turns
up now and then despite them.
The Bach Guild, which once
before went enterprisingly on
base In this fashion with
Israel In Egypt'D. has now
come UP with Q recording of
the oratorio "Belshazzar." in
which Handel deals with the
same biblical theme. as that
In William Walton,s recently
recorded ''BelShazzar's Feast"
lie. the handwriting on the
wall and the fall Of Babylon).
"Belshazzar" Is quite q dra-
matte affair. In fact, it is not
too far removed from opera.
though opera Of an eigh-
teenth-century sort. It starts
out with the appearance Of
Nitocris, the queen mother, in
q lament over Babylonian cor
ruption. Then the scene shifts
to the camp Of Persian en-
peror Cyrus, who is laying
siege to the city, and choruSeS
Of Babylonians and PerSianS
exchange derisive personal re-
marks. Next Daniel enters the
proceedings with a prophecy
Of the coming downfall.
Thenceforward the vocal ac-
ton shifts back and forth be-
tween BelShazzar's carouSing,
Nitocris' 1amenting and Cyrus
military preparations until
Daniel translates Meme. Meme,
Tekel, Upharsin" and the ir-
reverent monarch quite ex-
peditiouSly gets his just de-
serts.
Suited HondeI
All this may seem a pretty
rowdy and bloody business for
the composer of Messiah" to
be dabbling in. but in eigh-
teenth-century England Gust
as now the Bible was a best
seller and plots like this suited
both Handel and his public to
a T. In fact it's not at all I'M
likely that old George Freder-
lex Che was almost so when he
wrote this, two years after
"MesSiah") was slyly propa-
gandizing against diSSolute
royalty, a current problem Just
then. In any event "Belshaz-
Ear" is potent and lively music.
Just how close this record
ing, by the Berlin Symphony
and chamber choirs under
Helmut Koch, comes to CIV
ing the full flavor of Handel's
creation, I am uncertain.
The soprano who sings Nito-
criS is rather shrill, and the
other soloists are not spec
tacular, although the chorus
comes through well. I have a
feeling another conductor
might have supplied more
pulse. Unfortunately the per-
Torrance is considerably
abridged. so it could not stand
as definite in any case. But
it is still to be welcomed, and
perhaps it will help create a
public for a full-fiedged ver-
sion. The recorded sound is
above average. though not
without occasional distortion.
Two LIPS are in the album.
A New 'Messioh'
Westminster has just pro-
vided, from the baton of Her.
mann Scherchen, an exceed
ingly interesting and indi-
vidual new Messiah" When
Messiah" is presented pro-
fessionally an effort usually is
made to assemble as many
singers as possible, and it has
been sung by as many as 1000.
Westminster has gone about
as far the other way as pos
Sible. Scherchen'S forces
number about 40 singers and
an equal number Of instru-
mentalists. He also substi-
tuted q harpsichord continue
for organ and eSchewS the
Celebrations made on Handel's
original by Mozart. which are
cuStomarily embodied in mod
ern performances.
The basis for all this, &C
cording to WeStminSter'S ac-
STORE BLADENSBu
nA1Inc. OPEN FRIDA