Welcome to the Wednesday edition of Opera Daily, the best opera community on the internet. If you’re reading this but haven’t subscribed yet, join 4,018 smart, curious folks by subscribing here 🎉 This week is all about Handel. I love how Beethoven talked of Handel’s works: “Go to him to learn how to achieve great effects, by such simple means.” 😌 I think it’s fair to say that Handel won the gold medal in the Olympic games of the Baroque period (which lasted from about 1600 to 1750). Handel was the leading composer of opera during the Baroque period, and you will see why after listening to this masterpiece. Out of the thousands of operas that were known to have been written in the Baroque period, only a small percentage survived. Handel’s music is considered to be among the most demanding music in the operatic repertoire for any voice type, particularly for sopranos. Rhythmic, spirited, energizing, exuberant. These are the words that come to mind when I listen to this piece by Handel.
The City Opera lucked out with the International press dismayed by The Met fiasco of Samuel Barber's opera ANTONY & CLEOPATRA but thrilled by Handel. Sills commandeered the role over Phyllis Curtain. Norman Treigle was supposed to be the star but Sills got most of the press.
Love this part of a comment that came in this morning to me via email:
"Nobody ever gave more of herself than Sills. She would try anything both vocally or dramatically to please her audience. And always with a smile! She never ceased to thrill me even when she didn’t quite get there so to speak... I miss Bubbles very much. “
The music of Georg Frideric Handel has always spoken to my spirit. I listened to Beverly Sills perform “Da tempeste il legno infranto” from Act III of "Giulio Cesare" and decided to watch the full opera today. I settled on a production, starring Montserrat Caballé, purely for sentimental reasons: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7kjM2UoKYBw&t=2438s.
Even though the staging was spare, the voices were luxurious, as was Handel's music. You will be pleased to know that I actually recognized a "pants role", the artist who portrayed Sesto. It was so exciting!🤩
The City Opera lucked out with the International press dismayed by The Met fiasco of Samuel Barber's opera ANTONY & CLEOPATRA but thrilled by Handel. Sills commandeered the role over Phyllis Curtain. Norman Treigle was supposed to be the star but Sills got most of the press.
Love this part of a comment that came in this morning to me via email:
"Nobody ever gave more of herself than Sills. She would try anything both vocally or dramatically to please her audience. And always with a smile! She never ceased to thrill me even when she didn’t quite get there so to speak... I miss Bubbles very much. “
The music of Georg Frideric Handel has always spoken to my spirit. I listened to Beverly Sills perform “Da tempeste il legno infranto” from Act III of "Giulio Cesare" and decided to watch the full opera today. I settled on a production, starring Montserrat Caballé, purely for sentimental reasons: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7kjM2UoKYBw&t=2438s.
Even though the staging was spare, the voices were luxurious, as was Handel's music. You will be pleased to know that I actually recognized a "pants role", the artist who portrayed Sesto. It was so exciting!🤩