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 Bar...(+)
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.
Riccardo primo, re d'Inghilterra ("Richard the First,
King of England", HWV 23) is an opera seria in three
acts written by George Frideric Handel for the Royal
Academy of Music (1719) . The Italian-language libretto
was by Paolo Antonio Rolli, after Francesco Briani's
Isacio tiranno, set by Antonio Lotti in 1710. Handel
wrote the work for the Royal Academy's 1726–27 opera
season, and also as homage to the newly crowned George
II and the nation where Handel had just received
citizenship. Riccardo Primo was the third opera Handel
composed for the trio of famous star Italian singers,
the castrato Senesino and the sopranos Francesca
Cuzzoni and Faustina Bordoni.
The opera received its premiere at the King's Theatre
in London on 11 November 1727, and eleven subsequent
performances. It was also performed in Hamburg and
Braunschweig in February 1729. The Hamburg performance,
led by none other than Georg Philipp Telemann, included
two new comic characters, Murmilla and Gelasius;
recitatives and the added arias for the new characters
were translated into German although the original arias
remained in Italian. Handel subsequently re-used music
from the opera in Scipione and Tolomeo. The opera fell
into neglect after the 1728 closing of the Royal
Academy.
Riccardo Primo was rediscovered and performed by the
Handel Opera Society at Sadler's Wells Opera in London
on 8 July 1964. Later performances were given at
Kourion Amphitheater in Cyprus at 1991, in order to
mark the 800th anniversary of the historical events on
which the opera is based, at the 1996 Göttingen
Festival and at the Händelfestspiele at the Badisches
Staatstheater in 2014 and 2015. The work was given its
United States premiere, presented as Richard the
Lionheart, by Opera Theatre of Saint Louis during the
summer 2015 season.
Source: Wikipedia
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riccardo_Primo).
Although originally scored for Violini, Viola, Alto &
Bassi I created this Interpretation of the Aria
"Agitato da fiere tempeste se il nocchiero" from
"Riccardo I, ré d'Inghilterra" (HWV 23 Act 1 No. 8)
for Oboe & Strings (2 Violins, Viola & Cello).
PARTITION