- Time & Date
- 15:00, Monday, 9. 1. 2012
- Venue
- Hamarikyu Asahi Hall, Tokyo
- Soloists
- Hirohisa Tsuji (T: Samson)
- Tomoko Morinaga (MS: Dalila)
- Mutsumi Hatano (MS: Micah)
- Masato Makino (B: Manoa)
- Naomi Satake (S: An Israelite Woman, A Philistine woman, A Virgin to Dalila)
- Takashi Sakai (B: Harapha)
- Hiromitsu Maeda (T: An Israelite, A Philistine, Messenger)
- Choir & Orchestra
- CANNONS CONCERT CHAMBER CHOIR & ORCHESTRA
- Conductor
- Toshiki Misawa
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- Greetings from the Chairman
- Thank you very much for coming to join our 9th Handel Festival Japan (HFJ) today.
- Handel created two masterpieces of oratorios within a short space of time towards autumn in 1741. These masterpieces are MESSIAH and SAMSON, both of which were performed for the first time in London in 1743. MESSIAH is far more well known than SAMSON today, however, when they were performed for the first time in London, it immediately became hugely popular compared to MESSIAH. Handel's oratorios had gradually taken root in London during 1740's , due to the successful premier of SAMSON. Because the original performance of 1743 was extremely long, Handel made it a habit of performing shortened version of SAMSON, when opportunities to perform were given. In this 9th HFJ's project, we have an opportunity to replicate the original and longest version of SAMSON performed in 1743.
- The HFJ is very honored to receive special support from GEORG-FRIEDRICH-HÄNDEL-GESELLSCHAFT, Internationale Vereinigung, e.V. as well as Bärenreiter Verlag for today's performance. Of special note is that GEORG-FRIEDRICH-HÄNDEL-GESELLSCHAFT, Internationale Vereinigung, e.V. has kindly transferred their right of world premiere of the new critical edition of the Hallische Händel-Ausgabe (HHA)to HFJ. I would also like to note that Bärenreiter Verlag has done a tremendous job to print the performance material in time, despite our very tight time f r a me. I am extremely grateful to Dr. Wolfgang Hirschmann, President of GEORG-FRIEDRICH-HÄNDEL- GESELLSCHAFT, Internationale Vereinigung, e.V ., as well as Dr. Urlich Etscheit of the Bärenreiter Verlag. I also would like to say thank you to Dr. Hans Dieter Clausen, Editor of HHA, who has made it possible to create a perfect replication of the original performance of SAMSON in 1743.
- Last but not least, although I will refrain from mentioning individual names, our sincere and special thanks go to all those involved individuals and organizations for their tremendous support and corporation. We could not have made this far without all of you.
- Toshiki Misawa
- Chairman
- Committee of Handel Festival Japan
- (Translated by Naoko Oshima)
- Greeting
- As "a musickal Drama, whose Subject must be Scriptural, and in which Solemnity of Church-Musick is agreeable united with the most pleasing Airs of the Stage" Newburgh Hamilton, the librettist of Handel's SAMSON , described the genre of oratorio which had been newl y invented by the composer in the 1730 ies. The success of the performances of SAMSON in Covent Garden Theatre in 1743 even rivalled that of MESSIAH, especially the choruses were admired: " They touch ! They strike! They animate ! They warm!" (William Hughes 1758).
- This masterpiece has been recently edited in the Hallische Händel-Ausgabe (HHA) by Hans Dieter Clausen, and the performance during the Handel Festival Japan 2011 will be the first based on the new critical edition of the HHA. This is a privilege usually granted to the Händel-Festspiele in Halle. So this first performance must be seen as a strong symbol for the intense cooperation between Halle as an international centre of Handel scholarship and the Handel scene in Japan. May this cooperation grow in the future and lead to an utmost intense communication between Handel enthusiasts in Europe and the Far East!
- I wish on every visitor of the Ninth Handel Festival Japan an inspiring and striking encounter with
Handel's Samson and all its 'alluring qualities'.
- Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Hirschmann
- President of the Georg-Friedrich-Händel-Gesellschaft e. V. Internationale Vereinigung (Sitz Halle)
- Chair of the Department of Musicology, Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, Germany
