Performance on 3 - Edinburgh International Festival 2009 - SCO/William Christie

Presented by Petroc Trelawny. In a concert which opened the 2009 Edinburgh International Festival, the Scottish Chamber Orchestra perform Handel's rousing oratorio Judas Maccabeus. It is conducted by one of the great Baroque music interpreters of today, William Christie. Judas Maccabeus was one of the most popular oratorios in Handel's lifetime, and it continues to appeal to current audiences, with its rousing choruses and strong melodies. Based on the Jewish story of Judas Maccabeus leading the Israelites to victory over their enemies, Handel and his librettist Thomas Morrell were making a highly political statement, celebrating the victory of the Duke of Cumberland and the House of Hanover over the Scottish Jacobite rebels at Culloden. For this reason it still remains provocative today. Handel: Judas Maccabaeus Israelite Woman ...... Rosemary Joshua (soprano) Israelite Man ...... Sarah Connolly (mezzo soprano) Priest ...... Reno Troilus (countertenor) Judas Maccabaeus ...... William Burden (tenor) Simon ...... Neal Davies (bass) Edinburgh Festival Chorus Scottish Chamber Orchestra William Christie (conductor) Followed by performances from the gala recital at the Leeds International Piano Competition, where the finalists perform solo works from their competition repertoire. Chopin: Etudes Op.25 (Nos. 1, 2, 5, 6, 9, 12) Jaining Kong (piano) Shostakovich: Preludes from Op.34 (Nos. 2, 21, 9, 10, 6, 19, 20, 16, 24, 5) David Kadouch (piano)