#harry bicket

[catullus101]

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Jakub Józef Orliński sings Sweet Rose and Lily from Handel’s favourite oratorio Theodora.

MD Harry Bicket, Royal Opera House, March 2022

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From the English Concert on YouTube: “Handel - The Philanthropist,” a concert featuring Dame Sarah Connolly, Sophie Bevan, Soraya Mafi, and James Way singing selections from Solomon and Handel’s “Foundling Anthem.” 

This is the first—a free teaser concert—in a livestreamed series being billed as “Britain’s Orpheus.” If you enjoy it, consider buying tickets to the other concerts, and/or making a donation to the orchestra’s Musicians’ Fund.

[oblivion-soave]

Currently listening to...

6/09/2018

Ensemble Masques, Vox Luminis’ Buxtehude: Abendmusiken, Steve Reich’s Steve Reich: Works 1965–1995, Gérard Grisey’s 4 chants pour franchir le seuil, Moondog’s A New Sound of an Old Instrument, Igor Stravinsky’s Renard, Histoire burlesque chantée et jouée performed by the Ensemble Intercontemporain, Lorraine Hunt Lieberson, Orchestra Of The Age Of Enlightenment, Harry Bicket’s Händel Arias, Hans Abrahamsen's Schnee, William Walton’s Façade, Aaron Copland’s Music for the Theatre and Arnold Schoenberg’s String Quartets.

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From the suddenly prolific YouTube user Felices Cantus Händel: a single video with a full-length recording of the English National Opera’s 2000 production of Semele, directed by Robert Carsen. This has previously been available on YouTube as a three-parter: 1, 2, 3. The picture quality in both versions is poor, but this new full-length version seems to have avoided the interlacing problems that plagued the three-part version. 

Semele competes with Alcina to be my all-time favorite opera, and I like this production a lot; I think its setting in a modern, unspecified European royal court is apt for its Restoration libretto (by William Congreve), and the production nicely balances the humor, beauty, and pathos in Handel’s score. Susan Bickley just slays me as Juno and I love Janis Kelly’s antics as her sidekick Iris. Sarah Connolly and Rosemary Joshua have a sweet, sisterly chemistry as Ino and Semele. Other members of the cast include John Mark Ainsley (Jupiter), Stephen Wallace (Athamas), Clive Bayley (Cadmus), and Graeme Danby (Somnus). Harry Bicket, one of my favorite Handel conductors, keeps the tempi lively.

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New album from Wigmore Hall: Sarah Connolly and Rosemary Joshua

Ah this is lovely news: Sarah Connolly and Rosemary Joshua’s concert of English baroque songs from two years ago at the Wigmore Hall is to be released as a Wigmore Hall Live album. It does not seem to be mentioned anywhere on the Wigmore website yet, but Presto Classical has listed the album as a forthcoming release, scheduled for June 9 of this year. This concert, with the English Concert conducted by Harry Bicket, was broadcast live on BBC Radio 3 and I thought it was beautiful. A tip of the hat to Michelle Edgerley on Twitter for discovering and tweeting the news!

Connolly + Joshua + Bicket + TEC is a great combination—I really, really wish I could go to their concert of Handel arias and duets in Surrey on May 7 but alas, there’s this stupid ocean in the way. I will have to settle for listening to their previous album again.

p.s. Bonus SC + RJ gifset. They really are wonderful together.

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Ariodante Livestream TODAY

Reminder! Today’s the day for the livestream of the English Concert’s Ariodante in concert from Carnegie Hall. It starts at 2:00 p.m. Eastern, which makes it 7:00 p.m. BST or 8:00 p.m. CEST. 

Joyce DiDonato gets top billing in the title role and the marketing of this concert has put her front and center, but I want to put in a few words for some faves from the rest of the excellent cast, most of whom I’ve heard live. Sonia Prina is a BEAST, truly scary as the evil Polinesso, yet riveting. David Portillo is the rare tenor whose voice I really enjoy listening to (SORRY TENORS) and he sings all three of Lurcanio’s big arias beautifully. And I really want to make a special mention of Matthew Brook, an English bass-baritone who will be singing the King of Scotland. I “discovered” him in a Rameau concert in London a few years ago and thought he was by far the best thing about the whole concert—he was running circles around everyone else on the stage in terms of acting and expression and connection with the audience.

I myself will miss the livestream because I’ll be out in a canoe on a river somewhere but I gather that Medici usually makes concerts available on their website for three months after the initial streaming. (Plus, I get to see the tour two days later when it comes to DC.) 

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Live broadcast of Ariodante from Carnegie Hall next Sunday

Excellent news! The English Concert tour of Handel’s Ariodante with a primo cast (Joyce DiDonato, Christiane Karg, Mary Bevan, Sonia Prina, David Portillo, and Matthew Brook) will be broadcast live from Carnegie Hall on Sunday, April 30. Hat tip to my hero Àlex (who runs World Concert Hall) for tweeting the alert.

EDITED to add: I blogged this in a hurry thinking it was a radio (audio only) broadcast but have just realized it’s actually a video livestream from Medici. Even better!

[idroolinmysleep]

G.F. Handel, Music for the Royal Fireworks, HWV 351, The English Concert, Harry Bicket, dir.