Cast
- Paul-Antoine Bénos-Djian Counter tenor
- Orchestre de l’Opéra Royal
- Théotime Langlois de Swarte Conductor
Presentation
In Handel’s operas, the characters portrayed by castrati were mainly powerful figures: sovereigns like the Egyptian kings Ptolemy and Alexander, Roman emperors such as Julius Caesar and Otto, heroes like the knights Rinaldo and Orlando, or the jealous Polinesso.
From Handel’s début in Italy with Agrippina (1709) to his London triumphs of the 1720s and 1730s, countertenor Paul-Antoine Bénos-Djian resurrects these larger-than-life operatic characters, embodied by the Primo Uomo : the contralto castrato Senesino is the pivotal figure in this anthology, which also evokes the castrati Nicolini and Antonio Baldi. In the heroic vein, anger and amorous spite are the strongest dramatic moments written by Handel : here they are brought together remarkably by a one of the truly great singers of our time, whose name could very well be that of a king or a Handelian hero : Paul-Antoine !
Productions of the Royal Opera.
This program will be recorded on a CD to be released on the Château de Versailles Spectacles label.
Programme
Rinaldo: Opening
Agrippina « Otton, Otton! … Voi che udite »
Berenice: « Sù Megera, Tisifone, Aletto »
Amadigi di Gaula: « Pena tiranna »
Ariodante: « Dover, giustizia, amor »
Giulio Cesare: « Se in fiorito ameno prato »
Orlando: « Già l’ebro mio ciglio»
Concerto pour violon en si b Majeur HWV 288 (Andante, Adagio, Allegro)
Tolomeo, Re d’Egitto: « Stille amare »
Tolomeo Re d’Egitto: « Se un solo e quel core »
Tolomeo, Re d’Egitto: « S’è ristretto fra catene »
Rinaldo: « Venti, turbini »
Giulio Cesare: « Va tacito e nascosto »
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PRESTIGE CATEGORY: Excellent seats with complimentary glass of champagne and programme.
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