Curtain up on some fascinating, seductive female characters: Medea, Cleopatra, Semele and the Queen of Sheba. They all inspired George Frideric Handel to write great music for his operas and oratorios, arias filled with virtuosity and emotion. No composer of his time was better at endowing the personalities of these women with musical glamour. To open our Baroque Weekend, the Academy of Ancient Music under Laurence Cummings, with soprano Nardus Williams, will introduce us to some of Handel’s most powerful, headstrong heroines.
We regret that Mary Bevan has had to withdraw from this concert due to illness. We are grateful to Nardus Williams for stepping in at short notice.
The Arrival of the Queen of Sheba (from Solomon)
Endless Pleasure (from Semele)
Concerto for Oboe No. 3 in G minor
Dolce riposo ed inoccente pace (from Teseo)
Felicissima quest’alma (from Apollo and Daphne)
Suite of dances from Ariodante and Alcina
Lascia la spina (from Il trionfo del Tempo e del Disinganno)
Concerto Grosso Op. 3 No. 2 in B-flat Major
Concerto Grosso Op. 6 No. 9 in F Major
O Ecstasy of Happiness (from Semele)
Myself I shall adore (from Semele)
Piangerò la Sorte Mia (from Giulio Cesare)
Overture: Passacaille (from Rodrigo)
Overture: Gavotte (from Otton)
Overture to Il trionfo del Tempo e del Disinganno
Bless’d the Day (from Solomon)
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