Millenium Orchestra - Semele - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

The oratorio Theodora was first performed at the Covent Garden Theatre on 16 March 1750 and clearly took Londoners by surprise. Handel had, after all, made a one-hundred-and-eighty-degree turn in his choice of subject. The grandiose episodes of the Old Testament, the glorious struggles of Solomon, Saul, or Judas Maccabaeus are no more the young martyr Theodora leads neither a community nor troops into battle. In a work far removed from the grand spectacle of biblical oratorios, Handel invites us to witness the poignant tale of a personal drama, a drama of the beginnings of Christianity fuelled by conscience, faith, and the heartbreak that they cause.

180-gram vinyl. Dolly Parton had a number of hits in the late '60s as Porter Wagoner's duet partner, yet solo success eluded her until her 1971 album Coat Of Many Colors. The title track was a Top Ten single, and it effectively became her signature song. A remarkably consistent album, in terms of songwriting and performances, but also remarkably diverse.

Academy of Ancient Music, Cambridge Handel Opera Company, Cambridge Early Music and Julian Perkins are proud to present the first professional recording of John Eccles's Semele (c.1707), a notable early setting of the great English libretto by William Congreve better known in a version by GF Handel from 1744. Academy of Ancient Music's mission is to explore, reveal and preserve the great treasure house of baroque and classical music, and a spirit of newfound discovery runs through all our work. Eccles's Semele is the next step on this journey, released here on 2 albums an extensive accompanying full-color booklet containing scholarly essays, Stephen Fry's modern re-telling of the story, autograph manuscript images of Eccles' score, the full libretto text and much more. A fascinating insight into how opera in England might have developed after Henry Purcell's death had not Handel moved to London in 1712, Eccles's Semele is the perfect addition to any baroque-music lover's library.