Harry Bicket Conducts Handel's 'Ariodante' at Carnegie Hall, 4/30

On Sunday, April 30 at 2:00 p.m., Harry Bicket conducts Handel's Ariodante at Carnegie Hall with acclaimed baroque orchestra The English Concert. In this concert presentation of Handel's brilliantly melodic work, mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato performs the title role joined by sopranos Christiane Karg (Ginevra) and Joélle Harvey (Dalinda), contralto Sonia Prina (Polinesso), tenors David Portillo(Lurcanio) and Tyson Miller (Odoardo), with bass-baritone Matthew Brook (King of Scotland).

A pre-concert talk begins at 1:00 p.m. in Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage with Benjamin Sosland, Assistant Dean for the Kovner Fellowships, Administrative Director of Juilliard Historical Performance.

This concert marks the fifth year of an acclaimed multi-year Handel project by Harry Bicket, The English Concert, and Carnegie Hall, which began in 2013 with Radimisto and David Daniels as the eponymous hero. It has continued in each subsequent season, first with Handel's oratorio Theodora, followed by the opera Alcina starring mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato in the title role, and most recently the opera Orlando with countertenor Iestyn Davies in the title role. Mr. Davies returns to Carnegie Hall for this project next season, singing the title role in Handel's Rinaldo with Mr. Bicket and The English Concert in March 2018.

About the Artists
Internationally renowned as an opera and concert conductor of distinction, Harry Bicket is especially noted for his interpretation of baroque and classical repertoire. In 2007, he became Artistic Director of The English Concert, one of the finest period orchestras. Bicket assumed his post as Chief Conductor of Santa Fe Opera in 2013 and opened the 2014 season with a critically-acclaimed performance ofFidelio. He is renowned for his work with singers and vocal collaborators, including in recent seasons Lucy Crowe, Elizabeth Watts, Sarah Connolly, Joyce DiDonato, Alice Coote, and Iestyn Davies. His production of Handel's Orlando for the Royal Opera House received an Olivier Award nomination for Best New Opera Production, and his recordings with David Daniels, Susan Graham, and Lorraine Hunt Lieberson have received both Grammy Award and Gramophone nominations.

Highlights of the maestro's 2016-2017 season include his first Carmen with Lyric Opera of Chicago and Alcina with Santa Fe Opera. He will perform symphonic works with the Cleveland Orchestra, including Rameau's Suite from Les Boréades, and make his debut with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra this spring at the Cincinnati May Festival, conducting Bach's Mass in B Minor. Plans with The English Concert include performances in the UK, touring within Europe, as well as the US and Far East.

The English Concert is one of Europe's leading chamber orchestras, specializing in historically informed performance. Created by Trevor Pinnock in 1973, the orchestra appointed Harry Bicket as its Artistic Director in 2007. The English Concert has toured extensively, and recent highlights include European and US tours with Alice Coote, Joyce DiDonato, David Daniels, and Andreas Scholl, as well as the orchestra's first tour to mainland China. Harry Bicket directed The English Concert and Choir in Bach's Mass in B Minor at the 2012 Leipzig Bachfest and later that year at the BBC Proms, a performance that was televised for BBC4. The English Concert's discography includes more than 100 recordings with Trevor Pinnock for Deutsche Grammophon Archiv and a series of critically acclaimed CDs for Harmonia Mundi with violinist Andrew Manze. Recordings with Harry Bicket have been widely praised, including Lucy Crowe's debut solo recital, Il caro Sassone. The English Concert works with several distinguished guest directors, including violinist Fabio Biondi and harpsichordist Laurence Cummings.

Program Information
Sunday, April 30 at 2:00 p.m.
Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage
THE ENGLISH CONCERT
Harry Bicket, Artistic Director and Conductor
Joyce DiDonato, Mezzo-Soprano (Ariodante)
Christiane Karg, Soprano (Ginevra)
Joélle Harvey, Soprano (Dalinda)
Sonia Prina, Contralto (Polinesso)
David Portillo, Tenor (Lurcanio)
Matthew Brook, Bass-Baritone (King of Scotland)
Tyson Miller, Tenor (Odoardo)

GEORGE FRIDERIC HANDEL Ariodante (concert performance)

Pre-concert talk starts at 1:00 p.m. in Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage with Benjamin Sosland, Assistant Dean for the Kovner Fellowships, Administrative Director of Juilliard Historical Performance.

Bank of America is the Proud Season Sponsor of Carnegie Hall.

Ticket Information Tickets, priced at $36-$110, are available at the Carnegie Hall Box Office, 154 West 57th Street, or can be charged to major credit cards by calling CarnegieCharge at 212-247-7800 or by visiting the Carnegie Hall website, carnegiehall.org. For Carnegie Hall Corporation presentations taking place in Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage, a limited number of seats, priced at $10, will be available day-of-concert beginning at 11:00 a.m.Monday through Saturday and 12:00 noon on Sunday until one hour before the performance or until supply lasts. The exceptions are Carnegie Hall Family Concerts and gala events. These $10 tickets are available to the general public on a first-come, first-served basis at the Carnegie Hall Box Office only. There is a two-ticket limit per customer. In addition, for all Carnegie Hall presentations in Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage a limited number of partial view (seats with obstructed or limited sight lines or restricted leg room) will be sold for 50% of the full price. For more information on this and other discount ticket programs, including those for students, Notables members, and Bank of America customers, visitcarnegiehall.org/discounts. Artists, programs, and prices are subject to change.

Image at top of release by © Richard Termine from 2014's concert performance of Handel's Alcina.

To post a comment, you must register and login.