George Frideric Handel. Handel was born on the 23rd of February 1685 in the German city of Halle. As so many musicians of his time who traveled around Europe seeking patrons (just think of all the Italians who came to the courts of France and Austria), he left his country at the age of 21. He moved to Italy, first to Rome then to Florence. He eventually settled in England and lived there for the rest of his life, making occasional trips to the Continent. Handel wrote music for the courts of two kings, George I and George II, became rich and famous, and was buried in Westminster Abbey. Together with Henry Purcell he's considered the greatest English composer of all time. Handel's oratorio Messiah and orchestral suites Water music and Music for the Royal Fireworks never lost their appeal, but his 42 operas were mostly forgotten by the 19th century. Fortunately, they staged a comeback in the second half of the 20th, thanks to a general interest in "historically informed performances" and Baroque operas in particular.
We created a playlist consisting of four works. First, the pianist Margarita Shevchenko performs Chaconne in G Major. Then the soprano Amy Shoremount-Obra sings the aria Tornami a vagheggiar, from the opera Alcina. She's accompanied by Eunjung Lee (Piano). Then we'll hear two very different performance of Concerti Grossi Op. 6: first, Concerto Grosso no. 4 in a minor is performed by Baroque Band, the Chicago-based period instrument orchestra under the direction of Garry Clarke. We conclude with a live historical performance of Concerto Grosso Op.6 no. 10 in d minor made on March 20, 1954: the great German conductor Wilhelm Furtwängler leads the Caracas Symphony Orchestra. This recording was made just eight month before the maestro's death. Even the unfortunate accompaniment of a baby in the last movement (Allegro Moderato) cannot spoil the overall impression. To listen, click here.
February 21, 2011
George Frideric Handel. Handel was born on the 23rd of February 1685 in the German city of Halle. As so many musicians of his time who traveled around Europe seeking patrons (just think of all the Italians who came to the courts of France and Austria), he left his country at the age of 21. He moved to Italy, first to Rome then to Florence. He eventually settled in England and lived there for the rest of his life, making occasional trips to the Continent. Handel wrote music for the courts of two kings, George I and George II, became rich and famous, and was buried in Westminster Abbey. Together with Henry Purcell he's considered the greatest English composer of all time. Handel's oratorio Messiah and orchestral suites Water music and Music for the Royal Fireworks never lost their appeal, but his 42 operas were mostly forgotten by the 19th century. Fortunately, they staged a comeback in the second half of the 20th, thanks to a general interest in "historically informed performances" and Baroque operas in particular.
We created a playlist consisting of four works. First, the pianist Margarita Shevchenko performs Chaconne in G Major. Then the soprano Amy Shoremount-Obra sings the aria Tornami a vagheggiar, from the opera Alcina. She's accompanied by Eunjung Lee (Piano). Then we'll hear two very different performance of Concerti Grossi Op. 6: first, Concerto Grosso no. 4 in a minor is performed by Baroque Band, the Chicago-based period instrument orchestra under the direction of Garry Clarke. We conclude with a live historical performance of Concerto Grosso Op.6 no. 10 in d minor made on March 20, 1954: the great German conductor Wilhelm Furtwängler leads the Caracas Symphony Orchestra. This recording was made just eight month before the maestro's death. Even the unfortunate accompaniment of a baby in the last movement (Allegro Moderato) cannot spoil the overall impression. To listen, click here.