Belshazzar : C.Nel, Jacobs / Akademie fur Alte Musik Berlin, Tarver, R.Joshua, B.Mehta, RIAS Kammerchor, etc (2008 Stereo)

Handel: Belshazzar

Kenneth Tarver (Belshazzar), Rosemary Joshua (Nitocris), Bejun Mehta (Cyrus)
Kristina Hammarstrom (Daniel), Neal Davies (Gobrias)
Christina Sampson, Lucy Taylor, Andrew Radley, Richard Wilberforce
Vernon Kirk, Andrew Davies
RIAS Kammerchor
Akademie fur Alte Musik Berlin / Rene Jacobs, conductor

Directed by Christof Nel - A Film by Don Kent
Set Designer: Roland Aeschlimann
Costume Designer: Bettina Walter
Produced by Bel Air Media / Festival d’Aix-en-Provence 2008

Handel's Belshazzar at the Aix Festival was imported from the Staatsoper Berlin. Berlin had built a huge, magnificent production and imported English and American opera singers, including star-turn countertenor Bejun Mehta. Add to this a superb local Baroque instrumental ensemble and an accomplished vocal ensemble, not to mention the world-renowned early music conductor, Rene Jacobs: and voila, an operatic hit.

Christof Nel, a well-respected director in progressive German opera houses teamed up with famed Swiss minimalist set designer Roland Aeschlimann and costume designer Bettina Walter to create a production which respected the supposed austerity of oratorio. This experienced team brought Handel's not-so-high drama and philosophic tragedy to almost operatic dramatic standards as the Persian prince Cyrus overran the dissolute Babylonians and freed the captive Jews.

please note this Blu-ray disc - BD is not compatible with standard DVD players