Gender Stories: female characters in the Handel era

Every year since 1922, the German city of Halle celebrates the music and legacy of Halle-born Baroque composer George Frideric Handel at the Handel Festival. At the 2019 edition, the female Baroque voice takes center stage! Although the castrati were considered the superstars of the period, women were just as frequently seen on stage, in both masculine and feminine roles. In this compelling program, Alaska-born mezzo-soprano Vivica Genaux and American countertenor Lawrence Zazzo lend their stunning voices to a selection of characteristically Baroque arias from operas by Johann Adolph Hasse, Tommaso Traetta, Nicola Porpora, Antonio Vivaldi, and, of course, Handel himself!