Handel: Belshazzar Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		0.5
Overall		4.0

Handel: Belshazzar Blu-ray Movie Review

"The writing's on the wall. . ."

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman June 30, 2011

Scuttlebutt has it prophecy is a dead art, and if one takes the recent example of a predicted Rapture which kind of fizzled, scuttlebutt may in fact be right. Less cynical souls might be inclined to simply state the world as a whole is too busy to pay attention to real prophecy, whether that be the real or imagined threats of climate change or imminent devaluation of the dollar. But there was a time not so long ago in the epochal scheme of things when prophets were not only paid heed, they were rigorously bowed to as vessels of Divine information. Whether they were fire and brimstone apocalypse promoters or good news deliverers assuring us of brighter days ahead, prophets and their prophecies were the analogous sensations in their day to, say, internet memes of current times. The salient effects of prophecy are front and center in Handel’s 1744 oratorio Belshazzar, a piece supposedly subtly shaded to disguise its defense of English Protestantism, but which in fact can stand more or less as a straight historical document culled from the Old Testament Book of Daniel. Daniel of course is the prophet in question, and his repeated warnings to Belshazzar that not only his, but his kingdom’s, days are numbered are ignored at Belshazzar’s own peril, leading to the central conflict and tension in Handel’s account. This appealing 2008 production originally done by the Staatsoper Unter der Linden in Berlin and imported virtually lock, stock and barrel to the Festival of d’Aix-en-Provence, does a nice job of minimally staging the oratorio to emphasize some minimal operatic qualities, while never over indulging in any modernizing or (thank the prophets above) Eurotrash elements. While this is a somewhat dramatically inert piece to begin with, the production here is highlighted by some glorious singing, and for once even a starry array of principals don’t ultimately outshine an incredible tour de force by the ensemble, the incredible RIAS Kammerchor.

Handel seems to be flavor of the month lately, at least in terms of his oratorios and adaptive efforts to meld these pieces which eschew production values with opera’s grander ambitions. The past few years have seen a glut of productions of Handel’s oratorios made over to at least passingly resemble operas, and the results have not always been convincing. Christof Nel, the director of this outing, may have had even less of a chance at success given Belshazzar’s more lethargic pace and lack of “big hit” numbers. But against quite formidable ods, Nel has fashioned a rather remarkably entertaining evening, one highlighted by several star turns, an intriguing yet minimalist production design, and the more than able contributions of conductor René Jacobs and the inimitable Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin. This may in fact not be overly exciting material, but taken within the confines of its own history, Belshazzar is often thrilling and dramatic, if sometimes on a smaller scale than some of Handel’s other, better known, outings.

Roland Aeschlimann’s interesting set resembles a multi-tiered amphitheater and is in fact rather redolent of the set utilized in a completely different modern opera, Harrison Birtwistle’s The Minotaur. As in that piece, the set helps define a choral “audience” space, in this case utilized frequently by the RIAS Kammerchor, who with the literal drop of a hat assume the parts of either Jews or Babylonians. Aeschlimann’s set also is dividable and is also bifurcated at times by interesting lighting choices by designer Olaf Freese which set off little sections for different focal points. The tiered amphitheater also becomes a “climbing structure” of sorts for four acrobats, which bears a certain synchronicity for two Mehtas: conductor Zubin’s fantastic Ring cycle which I reviewed here last year of course had a certain Cirque du Soleil ethos, and Zubin’s cousin once removed, the counter-tenor superstar du jour Bejun Mehta, sings the role of Cyrus in this production.

This production’s best aspect is no doubt the singing and playing of the assembled forces. Aside from Mehta, the cast includes Kenneth Tarver as Belshazzar, Rosemary Joshua as Nitocris (Belshazzar’s mother), Kristina Hammarström as Daniel and Neal Davis as Gobrias. All of the principals sound splendid, with Hammarström especially convincing in her handling of the florid Handelian lines. But what impresses again and again in terms of the sung material is the ravishing choral work of RIAS Kammerchor, work which brings Handel’s effortless proclivity for brilliant antiphonal interweaving fully to life. As might be expected, René Jacobs and the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin provide suitably lively accompaniment. Jacobs is not in the revisionist mode he sometimes adopts (albeit a revisionism trying to get back to original intent), and instead delivers an often bristling account of the score, one which is particularly energetic in some of the continuo moments.

We’ve been down this “how to handle (pun intended) an oratorio” dilemma several times previously with Handel’s output, and for anyone wondering if a suitable middle ground between mere “recitation” and a full blown production can indeed be pulled off, this Belshazzar provides some convincing proof. While the piece itself lacks the dramatic flow which infuses most grand scale operas, Nel along with a crackerjack production team as well as a first rate cast, conductor, chorus and orchestra, deliver an appealing production which is able to retain the somewhat staid reserve of the oratorio form while “opening up” the action to provide a great deal of interest visually. Prophecy may indeed be a dead art, but thankfully opera and oratorio aren’t, and we can be the beneficiaries of that survival with productions like these.

Handel: Belshazzar Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Belshazzar is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Bel Air Media and Harmonia Mundi, with an AVC encoded 1080i transfer in 1.78:1. Unfortunately this is a fairly soft looking production, at least in the midrange and far range shots, a softness which is further exacerbated by a lighting scheme which favors diffuse effects and adds a gauzy texture to much of the proceedings. There's also occasional aliasing which crops up from time to time throughout all three acts. On the plus side, close ups are a good deal sharper than other segments of the opera, revealing adequate to very good fine detail. Colors, while not incredibly robust, are lifelike, at least within the confines of the lighting scheme, which often adds odd hues to the proceedings. There's a fair amount of crush evident, especially in upstage, shadowy regions.

Handel: Belshazzar Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Belshazzar includes two lossless audio options, a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix and an LPCM 2.0 stereo fold down. Both of these options are wonderfully fulsome, with excellent balance and fidelity. After toggling between the two to check each out, I of course opted for the 5.1 mix for its greater hall ambience and spaciousness. The 5.1 mix offers an incredible opportunity to get inside Handel's amazing choral work, with the RIAS Kammerchor filling the surrounds with amazingly gorgeous sonorities. Fidelity throughout all registers is very, very strong, with a liquid clarity and appealing precision. Dynamic range is also exceptional, especially noticeable when transitions from continuo to tutti orchestral moments come into play. Once or twice one of the soloists on the second or third "tier" of the amphitheater set sound just slightly muffled, which I attribute to microphone placement, but otherwise the 5.1 mix offers excellent balance between vocalists and orchestra.

Handel: Belshazzar Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Nothing much on this disc, unfortunately, other than a text based Synopsis available in three languages. As is typical, the insert booklet also contains a synopsis and some background notes.

Handel: Belshazzar Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Handel was obviously a deeply religious man and he found repeated inspiration in the Bible. Though librettist Charles Jennens' adaptation of the Book of Daniel is perhaps too reverential for its own good (and Handel trimmed Jennens' original version rather judiciously), Belshazzar still provides an interesting take on its subject, and one which doesn't require any subtextual analysis of what Handel might have really been talking about (in terms of a supposed connection to English Protestantism). This is not Handel's most glorious oratorio, but in the choral sections especially, it comes magically to life and offers some breathtakingly ravishing music. While the principals here are all amazing and in superb voice, for once it's the ensemble that ends up impressing most of all, and you'll be hard pressed to find a better accounting of Handel's choral genius than in this Belshazzar. Aided and abetted by a nicely minimalist production ethos, and with the redoubtable René Jacobs keeping it all under firm control, this Belshazzar may not in fact be downright exciting, but it's enjoyable and despite some image quality flaws comes Recommended.