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Handel spent so much of his career in London that he’s often thought of as a sort of honorary Englishman, and I have recordings of three of his English-language works to tell you about today.
of the pile is the Edinburgh-based Dunedin Consort’s Esther. Recordings of this work aren’t exactly thick on the ground and this fresh, vital performance left us wondering how on earth it’s been so eclipsed by Judas Maccabeus and Samson. As well as having a strong dramatic impetus which put me in mind of the Bach Passions in places, the score is an absolute treasure-trove of arias: highlights include the alto lament ‘O Jordan, Jordan, sacred tide’ (ravishingly sculpted by a plangent Robin Blaze), Esther’s defiant rage aria ‘Bloody wretch’ and the gorgeous pair of tenor arias in which the king ... [more]
