George Frideric Handel - Alexander's Feast (Alfredo Bernardini)

Information

Composer: George Frideric Handel

• Alexander’s Feast, HWV 75

Miriam Kutrowatz, soprano

Daniel Johannsen, tenor

Damien Gastl, bass

Arnold Schoenberg Chor

Zefiro Baroque Orchestra

Alfredo Bernardini, conductor

Date: 2025

Label: Arcana

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In London in 1736, the Baroque genius Handel celebrated the power of music with his oratorio about Alexander the Great, one of the foremost successes of his life. Covent Garden was never so full as on the evening of the premiere. For this original English version, Alfredo Bernardini unites the fantastic voices of the Arnold Schoenberg Choir with his lively Zefiro Baroque Orchestra. The three soloists Miriam Kutrowatz, Daniel Johannsen and Damien Gastl tell the ancient story of how the singer Timotheus was once able to change the mood of the great Alexander, evoking a whirlwind of diverse emotions, highlighting the power of music over politics and war.

Born in Rome in 1961, Alfredo Bernardini is a renowned historical oboist and conductor. He has performed with leading Baroque ensembles such as Hespèrion XX, The English Concert, Bach Collegium Japan, and co-founded Zefiro in 1989. As a conductor, he has led orchestras across Europe, the Americas, Asia, and Australia. Since 2018, he has directed a six-year opera project dedicated to Johann Joseph Fux at the Styriarte Festival in Graz. In 2019, he founded the Quartetto Bernardini with his daughter, violinist Cecilia. Bernardini taught at the Conservatory of Amsterdam (1992–2015) and is currently a professor at the Mozarteum University in Salzburg.

High Resolution 24-bit / 48 kHz