Tolomeo
George Frideric Handel
This neglected work by Handel actually belongs to his great London period and is championed by Il Pomo d’Oro and Jakub Józef Orliński.
Cast
Jakub Józef Orliński | Tolomeo
Giuseppina Bridelli | Elisa
Melissa Petit | Seleuce
Andrea Mastroni | Araspe
Paul-Antoine Bénos-Djian | Alessandro
Francesco Corti | direction and harpsichord
Il Pomo d’Oro
Sung in Italian with French and English subtitles
About
Premiered to acclaim in the spring of 1728 and featuring a cast of several star singers of the day – Faustina Bordoni, Francesca Cuzzoni and the castrato Senesino – Tolomeo suffered from the effects of the whirlwind generated by John Gay a few months later with his Beggar’s Opera, which put pay to Handel’s reign at the head of the Royal Academy of Music. Like many works by the musician, Tolomeo was a “sleeper” which was rediscovered in 1938 in Göttingen then in 1964 at Halle. We know that Il Pomo d’Oro are curious about neglected and forgotten repertoires and their discerning attitude to reconstructions is crowned here by the presence of countertenor Jakub Józef Orliński in the title role.
Coproduction Les Grandes Voix / Théâtre des Champs-Elysées
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