CD 1
1. 1. Overture
2. 2. Chorus: 'Mourn, Ye Afflicted Children'
3. 3. Recitative: 'Well, May Your Sorrows Brethren, Flow'
4. 4. Duet: 'From This Dread Scene, These Adverse Pow'rs'
5. 5. Chorus: 'For Sion Lamentation Make'
6. 6. Recitative: 'Not Vain Is All This Storm Of Grief'
7. 7. Aria: 'Arm, Arm, Ye Brave!'
8. 8. Chorus: 'Oh Father, Whose Almighty Pow'r'
9. 9. Recitative: 'I Feel, I Feel The Deity Within'
10. 10. Aria: 'Arm, Arm, Ye Brave!'
11. 11. Chorus: 'We Come, We Come, In Bright Array'
12. 12. Recitative: 'Tis Liberty, Dear Liberty Alone'
13. 13. Aria: 'Call Forth Thy Pow'rs, My Soul'
14. 14. Recitative: ' To Heav'n's Almighty King We Kneel'
15. 15. Aria: 'Oh Liberty, Thou Choicest Treasure'
16. 16. Aria: 'Come, Ever-Smiling Liberty'
17. 17. Recitative: 'Oh Judas, May These Noble Views Inspire'
18. 18. Aria: 'Tis Liberty, Dear Liberty Alone'
19. 19. Duet: 'Come, Ever-Smiling Liberty'
20. 20. Chorus: 'Lead On, Lead On! Judah Disdains'
21. 21. Recitative: 'So Will'd My Father, Now At Rest'
22. 22. Semi-Chor: 'Disdainful Of Danger, We'll Rush On The Foe'
23. 23. Recitative: 'Ambition! If E'er Honour Was Thine Aim'
24. 24. Aria: 'No Unhallow'd Desire'
25. 25. Recitative: 'Haste We, My Brethren, Haste We To The Field'
26. 26. Chorus: 'Hear Us, Oh Lord, On Thee We Call'
CD 2
1. 27. Chorus: 'Fall'n Is The Foe: So Fall Thy Foes, Oh Lord!' - Michael Davis
2. 28. Recitative: 'Victorious Hero! Fame Shall Tell' - Janet Baker
3. 29. Aria: 'So Rapid Thy Course Is' - Janet Baker
4. 30. Recitative: 'Well May We Hope Our Freedom To Receive' - Janet Baker
5. 31. Duet: 'Sion Now Her Head Shall Rise': 32. Chorus: 'Sion Now Her Head Shall Raise' - Michael Davis
6. 33. Recitative: 'Oh Let Eternal Honours Crown His Name' - Felicity Palmer
7. 34. Aria: 'From Mighty Kings He Took The Spoil' - Felicity Palmer
8. 35. Duet: 'Hail, Hail, Judea, Happy Land': 36. Chorus: 'Hail, Hail, Judea, Happy Land' - Michael Davis
9. 37. Recitative: 'Thanks To My Brethern: But Look Up To Heav'n' - Ryland Davies
10. 38. Aria: 'How Vain Is Man, Who Boasts In Fight' - Ryland Davies
11. 39. Recitative: 'Oh Juas, Oh My Brethren!' - Paul Esswood
12. 40. Aria: 'Ah! Wretched, Wretched Israel!': 41. Chorus: 'Ah, Wretched, Wretched Israel!' - Michael Davis
13. 42. Recitative: 'Be Comforted, - Nor Think These Plagues Are Sent' - John Shirley-Quirk
14. 43. Aria: 'The Lord Worketh Wonders' - John Shirley-Quirk
15. 44. Recitative: 'My Arms! - Against This Gorgias Will I Go' - Ryland Davies
16. 45. Aria: 'Sound An Alarm! Your Silver Trumpets Sound': 46. Choir: 'We Hear, We Hear The... - Michael Davis
17. 47. Recitative: 'Enough! To Heav'n We Leave The Rest' - John Shirley-Quirk
18. 48. Aria: 'With Pionus Hearts, And Brave As Pious' - John Shirley-Quirk
19. 49. Recitative: 'Ye Worshippers Of God' - Felicity Palmer
20. 50. Aria: 'Wise Men, Flatt'ring, May Deceive Us' - Felicity Palmer
21. 51. Duet: 'Oh! Never, Never Bow We Down': 52. Chorus: 'We Never, Never Will Bow Down' - Michael Davis
CD 3
1. 53. Aria: 'Father Of Heav'n! From Thy Eternal Throne' - Janet Baker
2. 54. Recitative: 'See, See Yon Flames, That From The Altar Broke' - Janet Baker
3. 55. Recitative: 'Oh Grant It, Heav'n, That Our Long Oes May Cease' - Felicity Palmer
4. 56. Aria: 'So Shall The Lute And Harp Awake' - Felicity Palmer
5. 57. Recitative: 'From Capharsalama, On Eagle Wings I Fly' - John Shirley-Quirk
6. 58. Chorus Of Yuths: 'See, The Conqu'ring Hero Comes!'... - Wandsworth School Chor/Michael Davis/Wandsworth School Chor/Michael Davis
7. 59. March - Sir Charles Mackerras
8. 60. Chor: 'Sing Unto God, And High Affections Raise' - Michael Davis
9. 61. Recitative: 'Sweet Flow The Strains, That Strike My Feasted Ear'' - Ryland Davies
10. 62. Aria: 'With Honour Let Desert Be Crown'd' - Ryland Davies
11. 63. Recitative: 'Peace To My Countrymen: Peace, And Liberty' - Christopher Keyte
12. 64. Chorus: 'To Our Great God Be All The Honour Giv'n' - Michael Davis
13. 65. Recitative: 'Again To Earth Let Gratitude Descend' - Felicity Palmer
14. 66. Aria, Duet: 'Oh Lovely Peace, With Plenty Crown'd' - Felicity Palmer
15. 67. Aria: 'Rejoice, Oh Judah! And In Songs Divine' - John Shirley-Quirk
16. 68. Chorus: 'Hallelujah! Amen' - Michael Davis
Surely a Judas Maccabaeus recorded on modern instruments nearly twenty years ago is one to ignore? Well, no. Charles Mackerras is one of music’s fresher minds, and he has always favoured incisive rhythms, clear textures, light bowing and carefully varied articulation in Baroque music. The ECO responds with verve to the wondrous grace and variety of Handel’s music. The late Russell Burgess’s Wandsworth School Choir is an eloquent testament of what is possible in an inner-city comprehensive given will-power and a gifted enough teacher. And who would willingly trade a cast of Ryland Davies as Maccabaeus, John Shirley-Quirk as Simon, the incomparable Felicity Palmer and Janet Baker, at the height of their powers, as the Israelitish Woman and Man, for another? Not I.
Performance: 5 (out of 5) Sound: 5 (out of 5) -- Stephen Pettitt, BBC Music Magazine
