Italian soprano Margherita Durastanti enjoyed a long and fruitful collaboration with Handel, their musical lives together spanning several decades and countries. Our programme celebrates Handel’s secular and sacred vocal writing, renowned for its virtuosity and the agility it commands, with works including the powerful dramatic cantata La Lucrezia, alongside the recently-discovered Gloria from Handel’s youthful early years in Rome. These are paired with magnificent chamber music composed at the height of his fame in 1730s London and provide a perfect conclusion to love:Handel 2023.

George Frideric Handel (1685 – 1759)
Crudel Tiranno Amor HWV 97
Sinfonia in B flat major HWV 339
Bel Piacere HWV 7a

La Lucrezia HWV 145
Trio Sonata in F major op. 5 no.6 HWV 401
Gloria HWV deest