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This new Handel collection features two great singers alongside the English Concert, arguably one of the best baroque orchestras in the UK. Duets play a key role in Handel’s stage works. A master of the Baroque opera seria medium, with its extended sequence of solo arias and recitative dialogue, he understood the dramatic effectiveness of occasional numbers blending two voices, generally those of a soprano heroine and a castrato hero.
The exquisite programme offers a carefully chosen selection of Handel duets from his operas and oratorios Giulio Cesare, Belshazzar, Theodora, Ottone, Sosarme, Radimisto, Rodelinda, Agrippina and Tamerlano.
Sarah Connolly CBE has become a highly sought-after performer on the operatic stage in a wide range of repertoire. Her Handelian roles have including the title-role in Giulio Cesare for the Glyndebourne Festival; in Agrippina, Xerxes, Ariodante and Ruggiero (Alcina) for the English National Opera and Ino/Juno (Semele) for the San Francisco Opera. She also starred in the 2009 Last Night of the Proms.
Rosemary Joshua is well known for her Handel roles, having sung Ginevra (Ariodante) in San Diego; Angelica (Orlando) in Munich, for Covent Garden and at the Aix-en- Provence Festival; and the title-role in Semele for which she was nominated for a Laurence Olivier Award and recorded for Chandos. Her recording of Partenope for Chandos was awarded the Stanley Sadie Handel Recording Prize.
The English Concert is conducted by Harry Bicket.
With a combination of such forces, this album is sure to make for a must-have for all Handel enthusiasts.
George Frideric Handel: Radamisto, HWV 12
Radamisto, HWV 12, Act III: Se teco vive il cor
George Frideric Handel: Rodelinda, HWV 19
Rodelinda, HWV 19, Act II: Io t'abbraccio
George Frideric Handel: Solomon, HWV 67
Solomon, HWV 67, Part I: Welcome as the dawn of day
George Frideric Handel: Theodora, HWV 68
Theodora, HWV 68, Act III: Streams of pleasure ever flowing
George Frideric Handel: Ottone, re di Germania, HWV 15
Ottone, re di Germania, HWV 15, Act III: Duet: Note cara!
Theodora, HWV 68
Theodora, HWV 68, Act II: To thee, thou glorious son of worth
George Frideric Handel: Ariodante, HWV 33
Ariodante, HWV 33, Act III: Bramo haver mille vite
George Frideric Handel: Belshazzar, HWV 61
Belshazzar, HWV 61, Act III: Great victor, at your feet I bow
George Frideric Handel: Tamerlano, HWV 18
Tamerlano, HWV 18, Act III: Vivo in te mio caro bene
George Frideric Handel: Sosarme, re di Media, HWV 30
Sosarme, re di Media, HWV 30, Act II: Per Le Porte del Tormento
George Frideric Handel: Agrippina, HWV 6
Agrippina, HWV 6, Act III: No, no, ch'io non apprezzo
George Frideric Handel: Giulio Cesare in Egitto, HWV 17
Giulio Cesare in Egitto, HWV 17, Act III: Caro! Bella!
May 2010
****
“The playing is crisp and the singing polished and stylish, with Joshua, in particular, conveying infectious delight in this sophisticated music.”
June 2010
“Connolly and Joshua are as outstanding a pair of Handel singers as one is likely to hear...The English Concert and Harry Bicket provide understated and efficient accompaniment...fans of both composer and these two singers will be enchanted by the highly accomplished music-making.”
Click on any of the works listed above for alternative recordings.
Radamisto, HWV 12, Act III: Se teco vive il cor
