ISRAEL IN EGYPT

“…The period-instrument pioneer Jeannette Sorrell has made a series of judicious cuts throughout the manuscript while keeping the structure intact. The outcome is a 74-minute edition, full of incident and colour, that never flags. Sorrell’s concision is intelligent and her Apollo’s Fire ensemble and singers are fiercely engaged. Sorrell herself is a singular presence, striking her own path in Cleveland and showing there is room in one post-industrial city for two world-class orchestras playing in very different styles. This becomes my preferred version of Israel in Egypt… This celebration of redemption needs to be more widely performed, especially in times like these.”
– Norman Lebrecht, THE CRITIC MAGAZINE

“Thrilling… Sorrell is a masterful musical storyteller. Her adaptation [of Israel in Egypt] gives the work a coherent, compelling dramatic arc, brought off brilliantly by her singers and players.”
– SEEN & HEARD INTERNATIONAL, UK

“Artistic director Jeannette Sorrell adapted the Baroque score with certain modern expectations in mind. Her production retains Handel’s solemn opening, achieving a kind of period authenticity, but jettisons much of the repetition and inessential action in the rest of the music. The result is a lean and engaging dramatic arc — less than two hours — that translates 18th-century entertainment for the 21st century.”
– CLEVELANDCLASSICAL.COM

“A triumphant musical journey – a display of the startling abilities of the orchestra’s musical sounds and solo and choral performances. A powerful emotional journey and an audience pleaser.”
– COOLCLEVELAND