Handel: Samson

Though German by birth, George Frideric Handel was once and for all adopted by Britain in the 1710s, after a successful London tour. Having polished his English, he left Hanover, went back to London seeking fame and fortune, and became the most prominent figure of 18th-century English musical life. His twenty English oratorios became very popular, particularly Messiah of course but also Samson, which he composed just afterwards. This majestic version by Nikolaus Harnoncourt, for the first time available on digital platforms, features a beautiful cast of vocal soloists with Anthony Rolfe Johnson, Roberta Alexander, Alastair Miles and Christoph Prégardien.