Georg Friederich Händel (as he then was), a budding 22-year-old operatic composer from Halle in central Germany, arrived in Rome in 1707. However all opera performances were forbidden by Pope Clement XI. The result was a fantastic collection of cantatas and oratorios, of which Dixit Dominus is the most often performed. An excellent showpiece for all the singers and orchestral musicians, it features highly virtuosic displays, and vivid choral word painting which clearly demonstrate why it is regarded as one of Handel’s finest works.
Claudio Monteverdi’s Hor che’l ciel e la terra is the second in his 8th book of madrigals, setting a sonnet by Petrarch, which shows Monteverdi continuing his experiments with musical emotions aiming to surprise and move listeners in new ways.
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