Handel’s Israel in Egypt is one of the less well known of his English language oratorios.  It’s also got a bit of an ofdd performance history with the first of the three acts often omitted.  The new recording from period instrument ensemble Apollo’s Fire includes all three acts but omits some numbers and shortens others in a selection made by music director Jeannette Sorrell.  This appears not to be uncommon.  A quick scan of available recordings revealed performance durations of anywhere from 75 minutes to 150 minutes.  This one comes in right on the bottom end of that range.

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