Oratorios are generally on a biblical subject and are treated as holy and pious – but why? The Old Testament is full of rollicking yarns not dissimilar to the storylines of operas and Saul, by Handel to a libretto by Charles Jennens, is no exception.

For those unfamiliar with the events of the first book of Samuel, the oratorio begins with David delivering the head of Goliath to Saul, covers the differing views of Saul’s daughters to the handsome youth, Saul’s increasing jealousy of David’s popularity – not least with Saul’s son Jonathan - Saul’s efforts to have him killed, and ends with Saul and Jonathan dead – killed by the Philistines.

Stylistically, it is very conversational, with the various characters singing to each other, so a concert performance in which each singer sings their bit and then retreats to a seat at the back, leaving the next singer singing to an empty space, is slightly disconcerting.

Saul first offers David his eldest daughter Merab, who is under-impressed with this unroyal youth. Sophie Bevan adds extra scorn to the words and music expressing her disdain and her journey from that disdain to acceptance of David’s good points is well-sung. Her younger sister Michal falls for David at first sight and cannot believe her luck when Saul gives her to David instead. Liv Redpath sings with an appropriate sweetness and her voice complements Iestyn Davies’ (David) in their love duet.

Iestyn Davies’ top notes ring out in the Usher Hall and he rather puts Andrew Haji as Jonathan in the shade. But Haji's Jonathan grows in confidence to the point of defying his father. Neal Davies has mainly negative emotions of jealousy, spite and anger to portray as Saul, and convincingly is losing it. His negotiation with James Gilchrist’s High Priest and subsequent encounter with the Apparition of Samuel is evidence of that. William Thomas as the Apparition is the voice of Saul’s doom, and quite unnerving.

Meanwhile, the Choir of the English Concert kicked things off with a quick run through the backstory, and really upset Saul with their enthusiasm for David. Both they and the instrumentalists of the English Concert respond well to John Butt’s conducting. The cello balances well with Sophie Bevan’s restraint in ‘Author of my soul’, underpinned by theorbo and harp. The Dead March is almost spooky with its relentless timpani, trombones and flutes.

In the final moments, Merab’s lament for her father, Sophie Bevan sounds genuinely sad. David’s lament for Jonathan and Saul, again with cello, theorbo and harp, also conveys real feeling. Michal, on the other hand, has a slightly more bracing approach, directing the maids of Israel to moan.

We are used to concert performances of operas. Why not semi-staged performances of oratorios? It does not have to be the full thing with sets, just a bit of interaction in front of the orchestra and maybe some costumes and props. Saul would be a good place to start.