Tolomeo
George Frideric Handel
Franco Fagioli, a star in the contemporary countertenor firmament, performs a neglected work by Handel.
Franco Fagioli | Tolomeo
Giulia Semenzato | Seleuce
Riccardo Novaro | Araspe
Giuseppina Bridelli | Elisa
Christophe Dumaux | Alessandro
Giovanni Antonini | direction
Kammerorchester Basel & Il Giardino Armonico
After Berenice, we stay in Egypt to follow the adventures of Tolomeo. This work predates Berenice by several years and was premiered at the King’s Theatre in the spring of 1728 with a cast of several leading singers of the day, including Faustina Bordoni, Francesca Cuzzoni and the castrato Francesco Bernardi, known as Il Senesino. A true star of the era, Il Senesino premiered several of Handel’s title roles in works such as Tolomeo, Flavio, Giulio Cesare, Tamerlano, Rodelinda, Scipione, Admeto, Siroe, and Orlando. Like numerous other operas by Handel, the work languished in obscurity for many years before being rediscovered in Göttingen in 1938. Argentine countertenor Franco Fagioli, who sings the title role here, is also a star in this demanding repertoire in which he has shone now for several years now with his virtuosity.
Production Théâtre des Champs-Elysées