4 Feb 2021
In Spring 2019, the Monteverdi Choir and English Baroque Soloists, led by John Eliot Gardiner, presented a tour of Handel’s dramatic oratorio, Semele. The work had not been performed by John Eliot Gardiner and the Monteverdi ensembles since they recorded it in the 1980s (the recording described by BBC Music Magazine as the ‘best-conducted Semele on disc’); the 2019 performances gave audiences the chance to hear a fuller version of the piece, notably with some passages by Handel very rarely heard in modern performances. In a concert-staging directed by Thomas Guthrie, a glamorous team of young soloists joined the Monteverdi Choir and EBS to bring the story of Semele to life.
“The show is a revelation” Amadeus
“A better interpretation can hardly be found.” El Punt Avui
“Chorus and orchestra were consistently excellent – strings, as ever, brilliant in vigour and precision.” ★★★★ Guardian
The concert at London’s recently-restored Alexandra Palace Theatre was filmed live on 2 May 2019, and we are now delighted that this performance has been released on DVD by Euroarts on Friday 26 February 2021.
Click here to see more highlights from the performance at London’s Alexandra Palace Theatre.
