"Handel’s score sparkles with exuberance, imagination and a flamboyant embrace of Italian taste. The soloists have the opportunity to display their virtuosity, as do several of the instrumentalists. But the real stars are the exquisite tunes, such as Io sperai, Lascia la spina and the breathtaking Tu del ciel ministro eletto. ”
Sébastien d'Hérin, director
Handel's first oratorio, composed shortly after his arrival in Rome, Il Trionfo del Tempo e del Disinganno (1707), is based on the confrontation of four allegorical characters: Time and Disillusion, who oppose Pleasure and Beauty.
Very different from the great oratorios of Handel's maturity, this one is distinguished by its reduced instrumental force and its absence of a chorus. The score seduces with the inventiveness of its writing and the freshness of its inspiration.
Musical direction: Sébastien d'Hérin
Soloists: Caroline Mutel, Bellezza • Xavier Sabata, Disinganno • Luciana Mancini, Piacere • Kresimir Spicer, Tempo
