Giulio Cesare in Egitto

In repertoire terms alone, there’s nothing very new about about this programme of nine Handel arias from Hungarian soprano, Emöke Baráth, when we’re talking about core repertoire gems such as Cleopatra’s “Se pietà di me non senti, giusto ciel” from Giulio Cesare and “Qual nave smarrita tra sirti” from Radamisto.

…“full of the most delicious music you could ask to hear, and the players give every indication of loving every note they play” was how one enthusiastic reviewer described the first volume of aria arrangements on SOMM, of “Handel at Home” (SOMMCD 055) with the London Handel Players in Pan Magazine.

Great sorrow and great joy, expressed in in sacred and secular arias and cantatas, are the themes of Sabine Devieilhe’s album of Bach and Handel. Recorded with the Pygmalion ensemble and conductor Raphaël Pichon, it features appearances by baritone Stéphane Degout and lutenist Thomas Dunford and includes Bach’s cantatas ‘Mein Herze schwimmt im Blut‘ and ‘Jauchzet Gott in allen Lande’, and excerpts from Handel’s Brockes Passion and Giulio Cesare.

In repertoire terms alone, there’s nothing very new about about this programme of nine Handel arias from Hungarian soprano, Emöke Baráth, when we’re talking about core repertoire gems such as Cleopatra’s “Se pietà di me non senti, giusto ciel” from Giulio Cesare and “Qual nave smarrita tra sirti” from Radamisto. However what Baráth and Jaroussky have then done with all this well-loved fare is thoroughly interesting, because when the operatic characters to whom these arias belong are a mixture of male and female, yet were all sung in Handel’s day by women, “Dualità” is an exploration of the female voice’s potential to characterise both heroines and heroes, while at the same time providing some insight into the careers of Baráth’s eighteenth century London counterparts.

From remote Australian properties to performing on international stages, soprano Petah Chapman and violinist Khalida De Ridder joined forces in 2017 with Danish classical guitarist Simon Thielke to form the ambitious virtuosic ensemble, Trio Cavallaro. The Trios name Cavallaro comes from Petahs Italian family heritage and was chosen to reflect the trios enthusiasm and appreciation for the Italian style. Individually they have been mentored by some of the worlds finest authorities on music in France, England and Italy. Together they curate performances based on their own arrangements of challenging, dynamic repertoire such as Händels opera Giulio Cesare, Webers Der Freischutz, songs by Strauss and Schubert. Also on the program are selected solo and duo repertoire including by Australian composer Richard Charlton. Trio Cavallaros celebrated regional tours of Australia continue to engage new audiences with classical music and in 2019 they per-formed their European debut in Copenhagen, Denmark. This recording demonstrates their versa-tile programming and dedication to musical style and context. In interpretation, it is a raw and honest reflection of how they strive for continued growth as artists.

Célèbre autant pour sa voix aérienne aux sur-aigus stupéfiants, capable de tant de nuances, que pour ses talents d'actrice hors du commun, la soprano française Natalie Dessay est l'incarnation même de l'artiste qui a renouvelé l'art lyrique. Grâce à son talent hors norme, Natalie Dessay s'avère irrésistible dans un répertoire qui s'étend sur trois siècles. Retrouvez dans ce triple album exceptionnel, qui retrace les grandes heures de sa carrière lyrique, tous ses plus grands rôles à l'opéra, de Lakmé à Manon, de la Reine de la nuit à Lucia.

Handel is one of Sandrine Piau’s cult composers, and everyone has vivid memories of her magnificent Alcina on DVD (ALPHA715): ‘Where once I portrayed light-hearted, pirouetting heroines, this new album offers a portrait of powerful, often wounded women.’. . .

Handel is one of Sandrine Piau’s cult composers, and everyone has vivid memories of her magnificent Alcina live: "Where once I portrayed light-hearted, pirouetting heroines, this new album offers a portrait of powerful, often wounded women"."Queens, sorceresses, sirens… we were attracted by the musical and emotional intensity of the hopes, disappointments and sufferings of these women, not forgetting the malice or cruelty that they also know how to deploy", continues Jérôme Correas, the soprano’s longstanding musical partner and conductor of Les Paladins. With Almirena, Cleopatra and Alcina, Handel explores all the facets of these defeated heroines, whose boldly delineated characters live once more in Sandrine Piau’s passionate interpretation.