Best Handel

Mark Morris’s *L’Allegro, il Penseroso ed il Moderato* is a large-scale modern ballet choreographed to music by Handel. The work explores contrasting moods – joyous celebration, thoughtful reflection, and tranquil moderation – through intricate movement and expressive storytelling. It's notable for...

Handel’s Messiah, HWV 56, is a Baroque oratorio written in English and completed in 1741. It features significant choral works including the globally recognized “Hallelujah” chorus. The composition explores themes of redemption and joy through biblical narratives. Primarily performed by choirs and o...

Giulio Cesare in Egitto is a dramma per musica in three acts by George Frideric Handel, first performed at the King's Theatre in London on 20 February 1724 for the Royal Academy of Music. The opera features roles for castrato voices, with the title role originally sung by Senesino, and is considered...

The Water Music is a collection of three orchestral suites composed by George Frideric Handel in 1717. The music was commissioned for a royal concert held on the River Thames in London, where King George I and his guests listened from a barge accompanied by another barge carrying the musicians. The...

Handel's Serse (Xerxes), HWV 40 is an opera seria composed in 1738 that premiered at the King's Theatre in London. The work is notable for incorporating comic elements unusual for the opera seria genre and opens with the famous aria 'Ombra mai fu,' one of Handel's most recognized compositions. Despi...

Handel's 'Israel in Egypt,' HWV 54, is an English oratorio composed in 1738 and first performed in London in 1739. Unlike Handel's other oratorios, it features extensive double choruses, with roughly half the work consisting of choral passages depicting the biblical Exodus story and the plagues of E...

"Water Music" is a collection of orchestral movements composed by George Frideric Handel, often published as three suites. The music was commissioned for an outdoor performance on the River Thames in London on July 17, 1717. King George I and his entourage traveled in a royal barge accompanied by an...

Solomon, HWV 67, is a three-act English oratorio composed by George Frideric Handel in 1748 and premiered at the Theatre Royal, Covent Garden in London on March 17, 1749. The libretto draws on Old Testament accounts of King Solomon's reign and features prominent choral and orchestral writing. Its th...

George Frideric Handel composed the four Coronation Anthems, HWV 258 to 261, for the coronation of King George II and Queen Caroline at Westminster Abbey in 1727. Scored for chorus and orchestra, they use ceremonial biblical texts and large-scale contrasts of choral and instrumental sound suited to...

George Frideric Handel’s Giulio Cesare in Egitto is a significant Baroque opera composed around 1724. This Italian work features elaborate choral sections and demanding vocal parts, showcasing Handel's mastery of dramatic music. It remains notable for its scale and intricate orchestration. The opera...

Handel’s Giulio Cesare in Egitto, composed in 1724, is a significant Baroque opera exploring the dramatic alliance between Cleopatra and Julius Caesar. The work showcases Handel's mastery of Italian opera seria, utilizing complex vocal writing and elaborate orchestral textures. It remains a cornerst...

Paul Taylor's *Aureole* is a modern ballet notable for its stark exploration of grief and societal response. The choreography features a group of dancers reacting with escalating anxiety to a solemn military funeral procession within a limited stage area. This work examines the unsettling nature of...

Music for the Royal Fireworks, HWV 351, is a ceremonial suite by George Frideric Handel, composed for festivities in London marking the 1748 Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle. It was first performed in 1749 in Green Park and originally used a large ensemble dominated by winds and percussion. Its movements i...

Rinaldo, HWV 7 is an Italian opera in three acts composed by George Frideric Handel, premiering in London in 1711. It holds historical significance as the first Italian-language opera specifically written for the English stage. The work, featuring a libretto by Giacomo Rossi based on Torquato Tasso'...

George Frideric Handel’s Water Music is a set of orchestral suites composed around 1711. The work features prominent use of strings, oboes, and horns, reflecting its intended performance during a royal barge excursion on the River Thames. Notably, it's one of Handel’s most popular and frequently per...

Alcina, an Italian opera by Handel from 1735, draws upon Ludovico Ariosto’s *Orlando Furioso*. The work showcases Handel's skill in portraying complex characters and crafting memorable arias. It is notable for its exploration of magic, deception, and romantic conflict. Alcina is primarily intended f...

Ariadante by George Frideric Handel’s Italian Baroque opera premiered in 1735. The work adapts Ludovico Ariosto's *Orlando Furioso*, presenting a complex narrative centered around mistaken identity and accusations of betrayal. Notable for its demanding vocal parts and dramatic storytelling, it remai...

George Frideric Handel’s Zadok the Priest, composed in 1727, is a significant choral work from the Baroque period. Originally commissioned for King George II's coronation, it has become an integral part of British tradition, consistently performed at every subsequent coronation ceremony. The anthem...

Rodelinda, an Italian opera by George Frideric Handel, premiered in 1725. This baroque work explores themes of justice, betrayal, and reconciliation within a dramatic narrative set during the 7th century. Notably for its complex characters and emotionally powerful music, Rodelinda is appreciated by...

Handel’s Water Music comprises three orchestral suites, HWV 348-350, created in 1717. The works were commissioned for a celebratory river excursion by King George I and his court along the River Thames. Featuring prominent strings, oboes, and horns, these Baroque pieces are notable for their festive...

Saul is an oratorio by George Handel composed in 1739. It depicts the life of King Saul from the Hebrew Bible, exploring his rise to power and eventual downfall through dramatic music. The work is recognized for its sophisticated character portrayals and innovative incorporation of a carillon—a keyb...

Rinaldo is a Baroque opera by George Frideric Handel premiered in London in 1711. It’s notable as Handel’s inaugural work for an English audience and adapted from Tasso's epic poem Jerusalem Delivered. The opera features a heroic narrative centered on the young Christian soldier Rinaldo, appealing t...

Israel in Egypt is an English-language oratorio composed by George Frideric Handel in 1739. The work is unique within Handel's musical output because it relies heavily on massive, dramatic double choruses rather than solo arias to tell the biblical story of the Israelites' exodus from Egypt. Handel...

Serse is an Italian-language opera by George Frideric Handel, first performed in London in 1738 and based loosely on the Persian king Xerxes I. The work mixes serious, romantic, and comic situations more freely than conventional opera seria, centering on Serse's pursuit of Romilda despite the compet...

“Airs,” choreographed by Paul Taylor, depicts a group of dancers meticulously and emotionally responding to the sudden, unsettling arrival of a single, formally dressed man in a stark, industrial setting, exploring themes of social awkwardness and unexpected disruption.

Solomon is an English oratorio composed by George Frideric Handel, premiered in 1749. The work uses a biblical libretto to depict events from the reign of King Solomon, including the famous judgment of Solomon and the construction of the First Temple. It is particularly famous for its Act III orches...

The Utrecht Te Deum is a sacred choral work by George Frideric Handel, composed in 1713 to celebrate the Treaty of Utrecht and the end of the War of the Spanish Succession. Written for soloists, chorus, and orchestra, it sets the traditional Christian hymn Te Deum laudamus. The work was paired with...

Music for the Royal Fireworks (HWV 351) is an orchestral suite composed by George Frideric Handel in 1749. King George II commissioned the work to celebrate the end of the War of the Austrian Succession and the signing of the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle. It was originally scored for a massive wind and...

L'Allegro, il Penseroso ed il Moderato is an English ode-oratorio composed by George Frideric Handel, premiering in London in 1740. The libretto heavily adapts two poems by John Milton that contrast cheerful and melancholic temperaments, L'Allegro and Il Penseroso. To conclude the work, Handel's col...