Handel's Unsung Heroes

We are very sorry to announce that Iestyn Davies is no longer able to perform in the concert due to Covid. Please join us in wishing Iestyn a speedy recovery and thanking eminent Handelian counter tenor Tim Mead for stepping in at such short notice to perform the same programme

Under the baton of David Bates, Mead and three virtuoso soloists from La Nuova Musica – the violinist Thomas Gould, oboist Katharina Spreckelsen and bassoonist Inga Maria Klaucke – perform a selection of obbligato arias showing how Handel wrote music as virtuosic and lyrical for his unsung heroes as for their singing counterparts. Intimate and often deeply moving, such arias depict moments of introspection, either profound or joyous. This irresistible display of vocal virtuosity is interspersed with overtures and Handel’s Concerto Grosso in B flat Op 3 No. 2 for what promises to be a showcase for sublime musicianship and operatic bravura.

Counter-tenor Tim Mead is praised for his 'alluring' and 'consistently excellent' interpretations (New York Times). With his 'rich, mellifluous sound' (Guardian), he is recognised as one of the finest across the generations of counter-tenors. Highlights of his 2021/22 season include Handel Messiah with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, English Chamber Orchestra, La Chapelle Harmonique, Royal Northern Sinfonia and Wrocław Baroque Orchestra, Bach St Matthew Passion with Collegium Vocale Gent in a European tour, Bach B Minor Mass with Tafelmusik, Bach Stabat Mater with Arcangelo and Bach cantatas with La Folia Barockorchester and the Gabrieli Consort featuring multiple returns to the Wigmore Hall

‘This is a stunning collection of Handel opera numbers. For originality, risk-taking and erudition, it towers above its predecessors... This project is a heroic achievement for all involved.’ ★★★★★ BBC Music Magazine Recording of the Month December 2021

Instruments supplied by Andrew Wooderson