Handel Weekend in Wardour Chapel, Wiltshire given in 2023 by Cherubim Chamber Choir & Orchestra,
conductor Harry Bradford.
SAMSON
The oratorio, Samson (HWV 57) was composed directly after Handel completed Messiah in September 1741, to a libretto by Newburgh Hamilton based on Milton’s Samson Agonistes. The first act was completed within a week, the second 10 days later, and the finale within a month - all before Handel left for Dublin to premiere Messiah. However Samson was not performed until February 1743 when it was premiered at Covent Garden with his A major organ concerto in the interval. It proved so popular that it was performed seven times within the same season.
Let the bright Seraphim
Soprano Antonida Kocharova
Trumpet obbligato David Bertie
Let the bright seraphim in burning row,
Their loud, uplifted angel trumpets blow.
Let the cherubic host, in tuneful choirs,
Touch their immortal harps with golden wires.
Let their celestial concerts
Chorus
Let their celestial concerts all unite
Ever to sound his praise in endless morn of light.
Cherubim Music Trust is a charity that loans professional-calibre orchestral instruments to advanced music students in the UK, aged 15-25, who cannot afford one that matches their ability. See cherubimtrust.org/