Italian Opera in London

 

Guy Withers (tenor) and Robert Court (harpsichord) explore 1724, one of Handel’s most successful years in composition, and the varied repertoire performed by the Italian tenor Francesco Borosini.

Description

During Handel’s many years of involvement with The King’s Theatre he made several attempts to forge contracts with Italian tenors. Francesco Borosini was the first of these to make the trip to England and the roles to which Handel assigned him would remain some of the most significant tenor roles he would ever compose. In the year 1724 Handel wrote three outstanding and successful operas, Giulio Cesare, Tamerlano and Rodelinda, and engaged Borosini to sing in them all. The tenor was arguably the first to achieve “superstar” status in the operatic world of early 18th-century Europe and later became an impresario himself. Guy Withers (Tenor) and Robert Court (Harpsichord) will explore one of Handel’s most successful years in composition and the varied repertoire written for and performed by Francesco Borosini.

Programme
George Frideric Handel (1685-1759)
Forte e lieto, ‘Tamerlano’
Ciel e terra armi di sdegno, ‘Tamerlano’
Figlia mia and Tu, spietato, il vedrai, ‘Tamerlano’
Svegliatevi ne core, ‘Giulio Cesare’
L’angue offeso mai riposa, ‘Giulio Cesare’
Io gia t’amai, ‘Rodelinda’
Prigionera ho l’alma in pena, ‘Rodelinda’
Fatto inferno e il mio petto and Pastorello d’un povero armento, ‘Rodelinda’