Georg Frideric Handel (1685-1759)
Serse, HWV 40
Emily D’Angelo (mezzo-soprano)
Lucy Crowe (soprano)
Mary Bevan (soprano)
Paula Murrihy (mezzo-soprano)
Daniela Mack (mezzo-soprano)
Neal Davies (bass-baritone)
William Dazeley (baritone)
The English Concert
Harry Bicket (conductor)
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Each new Handel release by The English Concert and Harry Bicket is a milestone in the composer’s discography, and the latest, Serse – ‘a spectacular treat for Handel lovers’ (The Times) – is no different. Created to astonish London audiences in 1728, Handel’s romantic and at times comic opera Serse is a spectacular drama of love, war, power and civil engineering set in ancient Persia, whose opening aria ‘Ombra mai fu’ remains an enduring favourite. Serse rules a vast empire, but the human heart is more difficult to command, and sometimes the beauty of a plane tree is the only constant in a dangerous world. The work is complemented by a world - class cast including the ‘barnstorming’ (The Daily Telegraph) Emily D’Angelo as the lovestruck king and Lucy Crowe as Romilda.
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Linn 3CD set
CKD709