George Frideric (or Frederick) Handel(1685 – 1759)
was a German-British Baroque composer well known for
his operas, oratorios, anthems, concerti grossi, and
organ concertos. Handel received his training in Halle
and worked as a composer in Hamburg and Italy before
settling in London in 1712, where he spent the bulk of
his career and became a naturalised British subject in
1727. He was strongly influenced both by the
middle-German polyphonic choral tradition and by
composers of the Italian Baro...(+)
George Frideric (or Frederick) Handel(1685 – 1759)
was a German-British Baroque composer well known for
his operas, oratorios, anthems, concerti grossi, and
organ concertos. Handel received his training in Halle
and worked as a composer in Hamburg and Italy before
settling in London in 1712, where he spent the bulk of
his career and became a naturalised British subject in
1727. He was strongly influenced both by the
middle-German polyphonic choral tradition and by
composers of the Italian Baroque. In turn, Handel's
music forms one of the peaks of the "high baroque"
style, bringing Italian opera to its highest
development, creating the genres of English oratorio
and organ concerto, and introducing a new style into
English church music. He is consistently recognized as
one of the greatest composers of his age.
Rodelinda, regina de' Longobardi (HWV 19) is an opera
seria in three acts composed for the first Royal
Academy of Music by George Frideric Handel. The
libretto is by Nicola Francesco Haym, based on an
earlier libretto by Antonio Salvi. Rodelinda has long
been regarded as one of Handel's greatest works.
Rodelinda was first performed at the King’s Theatre
in the Haymarket, London, on 13 February 1725. It was
produced with the same singers as Tamerlano. There were
14 performances; it was repeated on 18 December 1725,
and again on 4 May 1731, a further 16 performances in
all, each revival including changes and fresh material.
In 1735 and 1736 it was also performed, with only
modest success
The German-born Handel, after spending some of his
early career composing operas and other pieces in
Italy, settled in London, where in 1711 he had brought
Italian opera for the first time with his opera
Rinaldo. A tremendous success, Rinaldo created a craze
in London for Italian opera seria, a form focused
overwhelmingly on solo arias for the star virtuoso
singers. In 1719, Handel was appointed music director
of an organisation called the Royal Academy of Music
(unconnected with the present-day London
conservatoire), a company under royal charter to
produce Italian operas in London. Handel was not only
to compose operas for the company but hire the star
singers, supervise the orchestra and musicians, and
adapt operas from Italy for London performance. Within
a year, 1724–1725, Handel wrote three great operas in
succession for the Royal Academy of Music, each with
Senesino and Francesca Cuzzoni as the stars, the other
two being Giulio Cesare and Tamerlano.
Source: Wikipedia
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rodelinda_(opera)).
Although originally scored for Violini, Viola, Tenor &
Bassi I created this Interpretation of the Aria "Io
già t'amai, ritrosa" from "Rodelinda" (HWV 19 Act 1
No. 3) for String Quartet (2 Violins, Viola & Cello).
