Handel's Salon with Diana Moore and Julian Perkins
Handel’s Salon brings music back into the rooms where Handel once lived, worked and entertained. Inspired by the concerts, gatherings and creative exchanges that filled his home, this series celebrates his music, his house and his enduring legacy.
Handel’s Harem: "A Fiddler" and His Muses
Letters, Lyrics, and Legacies from Handel’s Female Circle
Though highly celebrated in London, Handel was famously rejected as a suitor by the mother of his student Elizabeth Legh, who dismissed him as a mere "fiddler." This recital explores the intimate circle of female patrons, collectors, and artists who championed his work. Through a seamless blend of music and spoken anecdotes, the performance weaves together virtuosic harpsichord solos and cantatas collected by Legh, alongside arias written for some of his most long-serving singers. The evening brings their performances to life using the vivid, firsthand letters and writings of his close friends Mary Delany and Lady Egmont, offering a unique glimpse behind the music.
Julian Perkins
Dubbed "The Indiana Jones of Early Music" by BBC Radio 3, Julian Perkins is Artistic Director of Portland Baroque Orchestra in Oregon, USA, and Founding Artistic Director of Cambridge Handel Opera and Sounds Baroque in the UK.
Julian has performed regularly at the Salzburg Festival, directed numerous ensembles, and appeared as a soloist with leading period orchestras. Shortlisted for a Gramophone Award in 2021, his distinguished discography includes world-première recordings of over thirty works by composers ranging from Daniel Purcell to Héloïse Werner. His recent solo disc, Handel's Attick, holds the distinction of being the only clavichord recording ever selected as "Instrumental Choice" by BBC Music Magazine.
Passionate about education, Julian has given masterclasses at leading international institutions and directed Baroque and Classical projects in both Europe and the United States. Of dual British-Italian citizenship, he studied at the University of Cambridge, the Royal Academy of Music and Schola Cantorum Basiliensis.
Diana Moore
British mezzo-soprano Diana Moore enjoys a wide-ranging career spanning opera, oratorio and recital, with repertoire from the Renaissance to the Romantic. She has appeared in leading Handel roles including Rinaldo, Sesto (Giulio Cesare), Bradamante (Alcina) and Medoro (Orlando) at venues such as the Opéra Royal, Versailles, the Göttingen International Handel Festival, Drottningholm Court Theatre and Lincoln Center. The Guardian has praised her singing for its “mixture of intelligence, musicianship and beauty of tone, with perfect restraint that highlights the emotional depth of each moment”. Alongside her performing career, she is critically acclaimed for creating thoughtfully scripted recital programmes that place music within a rich historical and emotional context.
