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Handel's Messiah from John Nelson
22nd Dec 2023by Katherine Cooper
Devotion and drama work hand-in-glove on the American conductor's live recording from Coventry Cathedral with The English Concert and soloists Lucy Crowe, Alex Potter, Michael Spyres & Matthew Brook.
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Handel's Theodora from Maxim Emelyanychev and Il Pomo d'Oro
28th Oct 2022by Katherine Cooper
A starry cast headed by Lisette Oropesa and Joyce DiDonato offers a wealth of fresh insights into Handel’s oratorio about religious persecution and intolerance in ancient Rome on this new studio recording, made after a run of concert-performances across Europe.
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Harry Bicket on Handel's La Resurrezione
9th May 2022by David Smith
The conductor talks about his new recording of Handel's unusual oratorio dramatising the post-Easter story.
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Sandrine Piau on Handel's Enchantresses
3rd Feb 2022by Katherine Cooper
The French soprano talks to Katherine about her new album featuring snapshots of Alcina, Morgana, Cleopatra and others, and about her rather unorthodox route to a solo singing career...
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David Bates on Handel's 'Unsung Heroes'
6th Dec 2021by David Smith
The Artistic Director of La Nuova Musica talks about his new album of Handel arias, shining the spotlight not just on the vocalists but on the instrumentalists whose obbligato lines enhance the music.
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Handel's Rodelinda from Harry Bicket and The English Concert
14th May 2021by Katherine Cooper
Social distancing is no barrier to superb ensemble-playing on this terrific new recording of Handel's 1725 opera, with Lucy Crowe in the title-role and Iestyn Davies as her estranged husband Bertarido.
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Handel's Semele from John Eliot Gardiner
2nd Oct 2020by David Smith
John Eliot Gardiner revisits Handel's tempestuous tale of gods and mortals, with show-stopping performances from Louise Alder, Hugo Hymas and Lucile Richardot.
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Richard Egarr on Handel's Brockes-Passion
7th Apr 2020by David Smith
The conductor talks to David about his recording of Handel's visceral Passion setting, which was taken from a live performance at the Barbican on Good Friday 2019 and released on the Academy of Ancient Music's own label last autumn.
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Kate Lindsey on Arianna
11th Feb 2020by Katherine Cooper
The American mezzo (currently starring as Nerone in Handel's Agrippina at the Metropolitan Opera) talks to Katherine about her new recording of cantatas by Alessandro Scarlatti, Handel and Haydn, released last month on Alpha.
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Handel's Agrippina starring Joyce DiDonato
31st Jan 2020by Katherine Cooper
The American mezzo sings the title role of the scheming Roman matriarch in a starrily-cast recording of Handel's early opera with Il Pomo d'Oro, conducted by Maxim Emelyanychev.
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Handel: Agrippina
Joyce DiDonato (Agrippina), Elsa Benoit (Poppea), Luca Pisaroni (Claudio), Franco Fagioli (Nerone), Jakub Józef Orliński (Ottone), Andrea Mastroni (Pallante), Carlo Vistoli (Narciso), Biagio Pizzuti (Lesbo), Marie-Nicole Lemieux (Giunone) Il Pomo d'Oro, Maxim Emelyanychev
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Handel's Brockes-Passion from Richard Egarr and the Academy of Ancient Music
4th Oct 2019by Katherine Cooper
Using a new performing edition by oboist Leo Duarte, the Academy of Ancient Music and some exceptional young soloists make a compelling case for Handel's visceral 'Passion-Oratorio' on the 300th anniversary of its premiere.
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Handel's Concerti Grossi Op. 6 from the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin
26th Jul 2019by David Smith
David enjoys sparkling accounts of Handel's sunny, Italianate concerti grossi Op. 6 from Bernhard Forck and the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin.
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Carolyn Sampson on Abbandonata
27th Dec 2018by Katherine Cooper
The soprano talks to Katherine about her recording of four of Handel's Italian cantatas, including Armida abbandonata and Agrippina condotta a morire, released on Vivat in October.
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Christopher Purves on Handel
5th Jul 2018by Katherine Cooper
The British bass-baritone talks to Katherine about the second volume of 'Finest Arias for Base Voice', out now on Hyperion.
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Franco Fagioli on Handel
1st Feb 2018by Katherine Cooper
Katherine talks to the Argentinian countertenor about his new album of arias from operas including Serse, Rinaldo and Ariodante - the latter previously unrecorded by this voice-type.
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Christmas music from Le Concert Spirituel, the Sistine Chapel, and Merton College Oxford
1st Dec 2017by Katherine Cooper
Katherine enjoys a contemplative programme of Advent and Christmas motets from the Vatican choir (plus a very special guest!) and an incisive Messiah with a difference from Hervé Niquet.
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Bach's Christmas Oratorio from John Butt and Handel's Messiah from Andrew Davis
2nd Dec 2016by David Smith
David listens to a contrasting double-bill of festive oratorios, with the Dunedin Consort and the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir and Symphony Orchestra.
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Bach, J S: Christmas Oratorio, BWV248
Mary Bevan (soprano), Clare Wilkinson (alto), Nicholas Mulroy (tenor), Matthew Brook (bass) - Cantatas 1, 3, 6), Joanne Lunn (soprano), Ciara Hendrick (mezzo), Thomas Hobbs (tenor), Konstantin Wolff (bass) - Cantatas 2, 4, 5. Dunedin Consort, John Butt
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Christopher Purves on Glyndebourne's Saul
5th Jul 2016by Katherine Cooper
Katherine talks to the bass-baritone about singing the title-role in Barrie Kosky's staging of Handel's oratorio.
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Handel: Saul (DVD)
Christopher Purves (Saul), Iestyn Davies (David), Lucy Crowe (Merab), Sophie Bevan (Michal), Paul Appleby (Jonathan), Benjamin Hulett (High Priest) & John Graham-Hall (Witch of Endor) The Glyndebourne Chorus & Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, Ivor Bolton (conductor) & Barrie Kosky (director)
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Handel at Vauxhall
11th Apr 2016by David Smith
David talks to conductor Bridget Cunningham about the latest intriguing instalment in her Handel series.
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Robert King conducts Mendelssohn's arrangement of Handel's Israel in Egypt
11th Mar 2016by David Smith
David listens to Robert King's new recording of Handel's biblical oratorio, orchestrated by Mendelssohn.