Reverbiage: Stories from NPR tagged 'handel'

'Agrippina,' Handel's Unlikely Comedy

Fri, 29 Jan 2010 00:00:00 EST

In his first, true operatic masterpiece, Handel creates an odd-ball comedy filled with scheming characters from ancient Rome. Read the story and hear excerpts from the site of the opera's premiere, in 1710.

The Story of 'Agrippina'

Fri, 29 Jan 2010 00:00:00 EST

Early in his career, Handel unleashed an odd-ball comedy, built with ruthless characters from ancient Rome.

Handel's Miraculous 'Messiah'

Tue, 22 Dec 2009 09:00:00 EST

Handel's deeply felt musical setting of the life of Christ conveys the emotional tide of its story with almost miraculous insight. In the process, it's acquired a universality that is unique in the history of music.

The Story of 'Ariodante'

Fri, 18 Dec 2009 12:55:00 EST

Handel, a German composer, became a superstar in London, England, by writing Italian operas. Ariodante, one of his best, is set in Scotland, and was premiered in 1735 in a then brand new theater at London's Covent Garden.

Scheming in Scotland: Handel's 'Ariodante'

Fri, 18 Dec 2009 12:13:00 EST

Christmas Means Music For Boys Choir

Thu, 17 Dec 2009 00:01:00 EST

For members of the St. Albans Boys Choir in Washington, D.C., Christmas is not about angling for video games or iPods, but parsing each note in Handel's Messiah, performing before thousands of people — and wondering when their voices will change.

Placido Domingo in Handel's 'Tamerlano'

Fri, 16 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT

Tenor Placido Domingo takes on the 126th role of his legendary career, as Bajazet in Handel's Tamerlano. The Washington National Opera's production also features countertenor David Daniels in the title role.

Arias Aplenty: Handel's 'Ezio'

Fri, 21 Aug 2009 16:36:00 EDT

For this lively story of ancient Roman intrigue, Handel wrote nothing but recitatives and arias — no quartets, no trios, not even a duet. But he proved that in the right hands, the most predictable string of musical numbers blossom into an explosion of musical color and variety.

SPCO In Concert: Fiddlers, Corn And Fireworks

Mon, 10 Aug 2009 15:10:00 EDT

Conductor Nicholas McGegan bids farewell to the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra in a concert that sparkles with Handel's Royal Fireworks and weaves an array of magic spells. Also featured are works by Edward Elgar and 20th-century English composer Peter Maxwell Davies.

Quirky Brilliance: Handel's 'Faramondo'

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 00:00:00 EDT

The story of Handel's vibrant, 1738 opera is a bit of a head-scratcher — yet the composer tells it through some of his finest music, ranging from infectious tunes to profound lyricism. This production from Lausanne features a full cast of brilliant solo performers.

'Furore': Handel, Causing Quite A Fuss

Thu, 04 Jun 2009 14:20:00 EDT

American mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato released a dazzling CD of Handel arias — Furore, a collection of set-pieces from operas and oratorios in which Handel's characters experience flights of passion.

'Partenope': The Quirky Side of G. F. Handel

Thu, 30 Apr 2009 18:52:00 EDT

Though Handel became a superstar in London with a string of deadly serious operas, he revealed his lighter side in the delightfully quirky comedy Partenope — an opera featuring a ditzy queen and a cross-dressing duellist.

Why George Frideric Handel Still Matters

Tue, 14 Apr 2009 16:01:00 EDT

April 14 marks the 250th anniversary of the composer's death. In honor of the occasion, two preeminent Handel musicians explain why the music remains as popular as ever with both performers and audiences.

Handel's Flood Of Melodies: 'Water Music'

Mon, 13 Apr 2009 11:10:00 EDT

Amid all the tributes to the great composer surrounding the 250th anniversary of his death, critic Ted Libbey introduces a recording of Handel's Water Music that flows with force and finesse.

The Pure Power Of Handel's 'Hallelujah Chorus'

Tue, 23 Dec 2008 12:41:00 EST

Composer-commentator Rob Kapilow examines what makes Handel's "Hallelujah Chorus" one of the best known — and best loved — pieces in all of music. He says the exuberance is powered by a few deceptively simple techniques.

The Death of Bajazet

Fri, 14 Nov 2008 14:27:00 EST

Placido Domingo sings the key scene from one of the first great tenor roles ever composed — Bajazet, in Handel's Tamerlano. Bajazet's death is among the most dramatic solo scenes in all of Baroque opera.

Placido Domingo in Handel's 'Tamerlano'

Fri, 14 Nov 2008 00:00:00 EST

Handel's 'Julius Caesar,' Politics And Passion

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 14:14:00 EDT

Hear Handel at the height of his powers, as he sets the conflicts among love, war, and backstabbing politics to gorgeous music. It's a production of Julius Caesar from the stage of the Metropolitan Theatre of Lausanne, Switzerland.

Vitality in Virginia: Teens Play the Classics

Wed, 18 Jun 2008 01:26:00 EDT

From the Virginia Arts Festival in Newport News, Virginia, a 17-year-old baritone sings Handel, a 15-year-old cellist plays Mendelssohn, and a teenage saxophone quartet from Chicago playsÃ�â�¦with vigor.

Scandal in Scotland: Handel's 'Ariodante'

Fri, 23 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Handel, a German composer, became a superstar in London, England, by writing Italian operas. Ariodante, one of his best, was premiered in 1735 at a then brand new opera house at London's Covent Garden.

Richard Egarr: The 'Bernstein of Early Music'

Wed, 26 Mar 2008 13:23:00 EDT

The keyboardist delivers a historically informed performance worthy of the passion behind Handel's Organ Concertos on a new CD. Egarr possesses a remarkable gift for combining subtle musical gestures with forwardÃ�â��moving, irrepressible rhythms.

Handel's 'Julius Caesar'

Fri, 19 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT

Countertenor David Daniels takes the brilliant title role in Julius Caesar, Handel's slightly offbeat take on Roman history, from Houston Grand Opera.

Handel's 'Imeneo'

Fri, 27 Jul 2007 12:00:00 EDT

In Handel's quirky comedy Imeneo two guys are after the same girl, and she's not sure she wants either one of them. The production is from Glimmerglass Opera in Cooperstown, N.Y.

An Updated 'Messiah' from Marin Alsop

Sat, 23 Dec 2006 17:32:00 EST

Handel's Messiah was a part of the holiday season long before Kris Kringle. The oratorio uses Biblical passages to tell the story of Christ's birth, death and resurrection. Conductor Marin Alsop thought the imposing composition could withstand some modern experimentation.

Handel's 'Messiah' from Philadelphia

Mon, 11 Dec 2006 17:21:00 EST

From the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia, WHYY and NPR present Handel's holiday masterpiece performed by the "Fabulous Philadelphians" -- one of the world's greatest orchestras, joined by the nationally-renowned Philadelphia Singers Chorale. Acclaimed Richard Hickox conducts.