Operatic Riches
Arias by Handel,
Bononcini and Ariosti -
heard by
GERALD FENECH'Lawrence Zazzo has a bright and clear timbre ...'
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On 27 July 1719 a prestigious group of seventy-three British aristocrats founded the Royal Academy of Music as joint-stock company; the aim being that of fostering the art of Italian opera among British audiences. The choice for the post of 'Master of the Orchester' was indeed an easy one, since Handel, who was already making his musical presence felt in no small measure, had been living permanently in or near London for seven years, and by the time the new company eventually opened its first season on 2 April 1720, Handel had managed to recruit some of the best local and foreign singers of the day, among whom the castrato Senesino was the most prized.
For the next few years the King's Theatre on the Haymarket became the centre of this particular brand of entertainment, and the Academy managed to lure some of the finest foreign composers of the day to write works for this establishment...
Copyright © 20 January 2015
Gerald Fenech,
Gzira, Malta
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