Handel's Serse
Michael Hampe (stage director), Christophe Rousset (conductor) – With Sandrine Piau (Atalanta), Marcello Lippi (Ariodate) – Semperoper Dresden
Cast
Michael Hampe — Stage director
Paula Rasmussen — Serse
Ann Hallenberg — Arsamene
Patricia Bardon — Amastre
Marcello Lippi — Ariodate
Isabel Bayrakdarian — Romilda
Sandrine Piau — Atalanta
Program notes
Serse is perhaps Handel's most intriguing operas. Rediscovered at the 1924 Göttingen Handel Festival, the work soon became one of the composer's most popular operas, surpassed only by Giulio Cesare. Its popularity might in part be due to the incredibly popular aria it contains, Ombra mai fu.
Recordings of the complete opera are rare and this one first presented in Dresden combines a visually strong staging with exceptional cast and ensemble of Baroque specialists.
