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Solomon

Handel’s magnificent oratorio Solomon was one of the first great works to be given a premiere at Covent Garden.

Most recent performance

There are currently no scheduled performances of Solomon. It was last on stage 11 October 2018 as part of the Autumn 2018/19 season.

The Story

Handel’s glorious oratorio rejoices in the wisdom of Solomon, one of Israel’s greatest kings.

Read more… (Contains spoilers)

Background

Handel invented the English oratorio – dramas sung in English, often based on stories from the Bible. Oratorios became so popular that Handel abandoned writing Italian operas to focus wholly on composing them. Solomon was Handel’s 18th English oratorio, and it was given its world premiere in March 1749 at the Covent Garden Theatre, now the site of the Royal Opera House. The anonymous text is based on stories celebrating Solomon’s wisdom from the Old Testament First Book of Kings and Second Book of Chronicles, with additional material from Flavius Josephus’s Antiquities of the Jews.

Solomon is one of Handel’s most exultant works. Its magnificent choruses include ‘Swell the full chorus’ and ‘Praise the Lord’ – both expressions of pure joy – while the vibrancy and tunefulness of the orchestral ‘Arrival of the Queen of Sheba’ has made it a popular concert item in its own right. The arias are full of drama and introspective beauty and include the Queen of Sheba’s ‘Will the sun forget to streak’, one of Handel’s loveliest melodies.