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George Frideric Handel

George Frideric Handel

Born: 5th March 1685, Halle (Saale)

Died: 14th April 1759, London

Nationality: English, German

George Frideric 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.

Handel started three commercial opera companies to supply the English nobility with Italian opera. In 1737 he had a physical breakdown, changed direction creatively, and addressed the middle class and made a transition to English choral works.

Further Reading: Handel

Recording of the Week, Handel's Messiah from John Nelson

Devotion and drama work hand-in-glove on the American conductor's live recording from Coventry Cathedral with The English Concert and soloists Lucy Crowe, Alex Potter, Michael Spyres & Matthew Brook.

Recording of the Week, Handel's Theodora from Maxim Emelyanychev and Il Pomo d'Oro

A starry cast headed by Lisette Oropesa and Joyce DiDonato offers a wealth of fresh insights into Handel’s oratorio about religious persecution and intolerance in ancient Rome on this new studio recording, made after a run of concert-performances across Europe.

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