Tim Mead, Anna Dennis, Mary Bevan, Hilary Summers – Handel: Amadigi di Gaula (2022)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 02:36:47 minutes | 2,65 GB | Genre: Classical, Opera
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Chandos
The countertenor Tim Mead leads an all-star cast in the Early Opera Company’s recording of Handel’s Amadigi di Gaula, conducted by Christian Curnyn.
The opera was first performed, in London, in 1715, in the first season under the reign of George I, at the King’s Theatre on the Haymarket. The complex, twisting plot features the lovers Amadigi and Oriana, imprisoned by the sorceress Melissa (who seeks Amadigi’s love). His ally Dardano turns against Amadigi, his former friend, when he realises that they both love Oriana and he sides with Melissa. Her plans are repeatedly foiled, and true love triumphs at the final curtain!
Amadigi is considered the finest of Handel’s early London operas in terms of musical sophistication, theatrical pacing, and a perfectly balanced exploration of the interconnected relationships, motivations, and emotional divergences among just four dissimilar yet equally arresting characters.
Read moreAnna Dennis, William Towers, Nicholas Daniel – Elena Langer: Landscape With Three People (2016)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 59:54 minutes | 1,03 GB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © harmonia mundi
Editor’s Note : A selection of chamber works by Elena Langer (b. 1974, Moscow), notable for their playful counterpoint and delicate textures. The London-based composer delights in exploring the endless soundworlds of voices and instruments. “An enticing sonic tapestry, pitched midway between the expressive avant-garde tumult of Berio and the rough-and-tumble of folk music.” (The Times, UK)
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