Italian Cantatas by Handel, performed by Iestyn Davies

In 1732 Senesino, the most famous castrato of the day (along with Farinelli), as a guest of Lord Burlington, gave a concert in York, at the Assembly Rooms which Burlington had designed and had only recently been opened, shortly after the close of the opera season in London. For its first ever Georgian concert, York Georgian Society has organised a modern equivalent of that event. The Society’s new President, Iestyn Davies, one of the finest countertenors of our time (who also sang the role of Farinelli in Claire van Kampen’s play Farinelli and the King) will sing four Italian cantatas for alto by Handel accompanied by members of the English Concert, interspersed with some of his instrumental music, in the glamorous but also intimate space of the State Room in the Mansion House. Handel of course was the premier composer of the early Georgian period, and this is a rare opportunity to hear his music in a suitable Georgian setting.

The ticket price includes a glass of wine in the interval. There will also be a pre-concert talk by the musicologist Dr David Vickers, a leading expert on Handel’s music, and the editor of a number of baroque works including Handel’s Partenope.

The pre-concert talk will begin at 6.30 pm. Those who are attending the concert only are advised to come to the Mansion House around 7.15 pm, as the concert will begin promptly at 7.30 pm.

York Mansion House is equipped to be fully accessible to those with mobility issues, but please do let us know if you have any accessibility requirements. Due to fire regulations, York Mansion House can only allow two wheelchair users in the house at once. Please email the event organiser, Charles Martindale, at c.a.martindale@bristol.ac.uk.