Handel: Belshazzar - Les Arts Florissants, William Christie (3 CDs)

George Frideric Handel
BELSHAZZAR
Oratorio in three acts | Oratorio en trois actes (1745)
Libretto by | Livret de Charles Jennens
CD1
· Overture (2'40)
 ACT I. Scene 1
·  1. Accompagnato ed Arioso (Nitocris) “Vain fluctuating state of human empire!” (4'28)
· 2a. Aria (Nitocris) “Thou, God most high, and Thou alone” (4'37)
· 2b. Recitative (Nitocris) “The fate of Babylon, I fear, is nigh” (1'15)
Scene 2
· 3a. Recitative (Nitocris, Daniel) “O much belov’d” 
· 3b. Air (Daniel) “Lament not thus, O Queen, in vain!” (4'59)
Scene 3 (2'27)
·4. Chorus of Babylonians “Behold by Persia’s hero made”
· 5a. Recitative (Gobrias) “Well may they laugh, from meagre famine safe” (1'27)
· 5b. Accompagnato (Gobrias) “Oh memory”
·  6. Aria (Gobrias) “Opprest with never ceasing grief ” (3'57)
·  7. Aria (Cyrus) “Dry those unavailing tears” (1'54)
·  8a. Recitative (Cyrus) “Be comforted: safe tho’ the tyrant seem” (3'59)
·  8b. Accompagnato (Cyrus) “Methought, as on the bank of deep Euphrates”
· 8bis. Recitative (Cyrus, Gobrias) “Now tell me Gobrias”
·  9. Aria (Gobrias) “Behold the monstrous human beast” (3'47)
· 10a. Recitative (Cyrus) “Can you then think it strange, if drown’d in wine”
·  10b. Aria (Cyrus) “Great God! who yet but darkly known” (4'09)
·  11a. Recitative (Cyrus) “My friends, be confident, and boldly enter”
·  11b. Chorus “All empires upon God depend” (3'28)
Scene 4 (4'54)
· Arioso (Daniel) “O sacred oracles of truth!”
· 13a. Accompagnato (Daniel) “Rejoice, my countrymen: the time draws near” (3'01)
· 13b. Recitative (Daniel) “For long ago”
· 14. Accompagnato (Daniel) “Thus saith the Lord to Cyrus his anointed”
· 15. Chorus “Sing, O ye Heav’ns, for the Lord hath done it” (4'16)
CD2
Scene 5 (6'45)
·  16a. Aria (Belshazzar) “Let festal joy triumphant reign”
·  16b. Recitative (Belshazzar, Nitocris) “For you, my friends, the nobles of my court”
· 17. Aria (Nitocris) “The leafy honours of the field” (7'10)
· 18a. Recitative (Belshazzar, Nitocris) “It is the custom; I may say, the law” (1'35)
· 18b. Chorus of Jews“Recall, O king, thy rash command”    (2’32)
· 19a. Recitative (Nitocris, Belshazzar) “They tell you true; nor can you be to learn” (1'18)
· 19b. Duet (Nitocris, Belshazzar) “O dearer than my life, forbear” (4''45)
· 20. Chorus of Jews “By slow degrees the wrath of God to its meridian height ascends” (6''08)
ACT II. Scene 1 (6''33)
· Chorus“See, from his post Euphrates flies!”
· 22. Semichorus “Why faithless river dost thou leave”
· 23. Semichorus “Euphrates hath his task fulfil’d”
· 24. Chorus “Of things on earth, proud man must own”
· 25a. Recitative (Cyrus) “You see, my friends, a path into the city” (6''07)
· 25b. Aria (Cyrus) “Amaz’d to find the foe so near”
· 26. Chorus of Persians “To arms, to arms, no more delay”
Scene 2 (2''52)
·  27. Chorus “Ye tutelar gods of our empire, look down”
·  28. Aria (Belshazzar) “Let the deep bowl thy praise confess” (2''35)
·  29a. Accompagnato and Chorus (Belshazzar) “Where is the God of Judah’s boasted pow’r?” (2''41)
·  29b. Recitative (Belshazzar) “Call all our wisemen, sorcerers, Chaldeans” (1''45)
·  30. Symphonie
·  31a. Recitative (Belshazzar) “Ye sages, welcome always to your king” (2''12)
·  31b. Trio (Wisemen) “Alas! too hard a task the king imposes”
·  32a.Chorus “O misery! O terror! hopeless grief!”
·  32b. Recitative (Nitocris, Belshazzar) “O king, live for ever!” (2''58)
·  32c. Recitative (Belshazzar) “Art thou that Daniel, of the Jewish captives?”
·  33. Aria (Daniel) “No: to thyself thy trifles be”
·  34. Accompagnato (Daniel) “Yet to obey his dread command” (3''54)
·  35. Accompagnato (Daniel)“Thou, O King, hast lifted up thyself ”
·  36. Recitative (Nitrocris) “O sentence too severe! and yet too sure!”
·  37. Aria (Nitrocris) “Regard, O son, my flowing tears” (6'22)

CD3
Scene 3 (5''16)
·  38a. Aria (Cyrus) “O God of truth! O faithful guide!”
·  38b. Recitative (Cyrus)“You, Gobrias, lead directly to the palace”
·  39. Chorus “O glorious prince! thrice happy they”
ACT III. Scene 1 (4'42)
·  40a. Aria (Nitrocris) “Alternate hopes and fears distract my mind”
·  40b. Recitative (Nitrocris, Daniel) “Fain would i hope. Is there not room to hope?”
·  41a. Aria (Daniel) “Can the black Æthiop change his skin?”  (3'26)
· 41b. Recitative (Nitocris, Arioch, Messenger)“My hopes revive, here Arioch comes: by this”
·  42. Chorus of Jews “Bel boweth down! Nebo stoopeth!”(1'29)
· 43. Aria (Belshazzar) “I thank thee, Sesach, thy sweet pow’r”  (2'05)
· 44. A martial Symphony
Scene 3 (2'23)
· 45a. Aria (Gobrias)“To pow’r immortal my first thanks are due”
· 45b. Recitative (Cyrus)“Be it thy care, good Gobrias, to find out”
· 46. Aria (Cyrus) “Destructive war thy limits know” (2'20)
· 47a. Duett (Nitocris, Cyrus) “Great victor, at your feet I bow” (5'58)
· 47b. Recitative (Cyrus, Daniel)“Say, venerable prophet, is there ought”
· 48. Soli and Chorus (Nitocris, Gobrias, Daniel) “Tell it out among the heathen, that the Lord is King” (1'38)
· 49. Accompagnato (Cyrus) “Yes, I will build thy city, God of Israel” (1'37)
· 50. Anthem (Daniel, Nitocris, Chorus) “I will magnify Thee, O God my king” (7'00)