Search - A Night With Handel / Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, Jonathon Keates on DVD

London & Handel a Winning Combination

R. Rolland | Benson, MN United States | 11/16/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Candle-lit churches, cabs, and coffeehouses, fountians and bridges, art and architecture - London at night is the backdrop for this fantastic collage of some of Handle's most beautiful operatic arias sung by first-rate artists (Ainsley, Connolly, McFadden, Miles) and interspersed with bits of Handel biography. The idea is to impress us with the universality of Handel - and it works. In an hour-long wander through London streets we encounter a woman disappointed by a blind date ("False Imagine"/Ottone); a knife-wielding man pursued by intimidating thugs ("Al lampo del armi"/Guilio Cesare); an insomniac businessman suffering job-related stress ("Pastorello d'un povero armento"/Rodelinda); and of course the heartbreak of a woman spotting her lover with another through a shaded window ("Scherza infida"/Ariodante), just to mention a few. Finally, as dark fades to gray and the sun rises, we end with a ravishing version of "As steals the morn". Great concept. Great execution. Great DVD. Don't miss it!"

SIMPLY DELIGHTFUL!

Douglas E. Braga | SÃO PAULO, SÃO PAULO Brazil | 05/17/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"SIMPLY DELIGHTFUL! I had watched this program in a brazilian TV channel. When I saw it here in Amazon I ordered it immediately. Sosarme's love duet Per le porte del tormento was what I enjoyed the most. It's Handel in one of his uncountable lovely melodies. GREAT!"