Handel: Serse Stéphany, Joshua, Daniels, Summers, Harvey, Sherratt, Wolf, Early Opera Company & Christian Curnyn

• George Frideric Handel (1685 - 1759): Serse, HWV 40:
• 1Handel: Serse, HWV 40: No. 1, Overture05:33
• Serse, HWV 40, Act I:
• 2Handel: Serse, HWV 40, Act I: No. 2, Accompagnato. Frondi tenere, e belle (Serse)00:42
• 3Handel: Serse, HWV 40, Act I: No. 3, Aria "Ombra mai fu" (Serse)02:22
• 4Handel: Serse, HWV 40, Act I: No. 4, Recitativo "Siam giunti, Elviro…" (Arsamene)00:22
• 5Handel: Serse, HWV 40, Act I: No. 5, Sinfonia e Recitativo "Sento un soave concento". Larghetto (Arsamene)01:50
• 6Handel: Serse, HWV 40, Act I: No. 6, Aria "O voi…". Larghetto (Romilda)02:06
• 7Handel: Serse, HWV 40, Act I: No. 7, Recitativo "Arsamene" (Serse)00:20
• 8Handel: Serse, HWV 40, Act I: No. 8, Aria "Và godendo vezzoso e bello" (Romilda)02:11
• 9Handel: Serse, HWV 40, Act I: No. 9, Recitativo "Quel canto a un bell' amor l'anima sforza" (Serse)01:13
• 10Handel: Serse, HWV 40, Act I: No. 10, Aria "Io le dirò che l'amo" Andante (Serse)03:06
• 11Handel: Serse, HWV 40, Act I: No. 11, Recitativo "Arsamene" (Romilda)01:02
• 12Handel: Serse, HWV 40, Act I: No. 12, Aria "Si, si, mio ben, si, si" Larghetto (Atalanta)02:22
• 13Handel: Serse, HWV 40, Act I: No. 13, Recitativo "Presto, Signor, vien Serse" (Elviro)01:11
• 14Handel: Serse, HWV 40, Act I: No. 14, Aria "Meglio in voi col mio partire" Andante (Arsamene)02:05
• 15Handel: Serse, HWV 40, Act I: No. 15, Recitativo "Bellissima Romilda, eh, non celate" (Serse)00:27
• 16Handel: Serse, HWV 40, Act I: No. 16, Aria "Di tacere e di schernirmi" Andante (Serse)01:56
• 17Handel: Serse, HWV 40, Act I: No. 17, Recitativo "Aspide sono a" detti tuoi d"amore" (Romilda)00:16
• 18Handel: Serse, HWV 40, Act I: No. 18, Aria "Nemmen coll'ombre d'infedeltà" (Romilda)02:31
• 19Handel: Serse, HWV 40, Act I: No. 19, Aria "Se cangio spoglia" Allegro (Amastre)01:41
• 20Handel: Serse, HWV 40, Act I: No. 20, Recitativo "Pugnammo, amici, e stette"(Ariodate)00:19
• 21Handel: Serse, HWV 40, Act I: No. 21, Coro "Già la tromba" (Soldati)00:38
• 22Handel: Serse, HWV 40, Act I: No. 22, Recitativo "Ecco Serse, oh che volto, oh che splendore!" (Amastre)00:53
• 23Handel: Serse, HWV 40, Act I: No. 23, Aria "Soggetti al mio volere" Andante (Ariodate)01:48
• 24Handel: Serse, HWV 40, Act I: No. 24, Coro "Già la tromba" (Soldati)00:40
• 25Handel: Serse, HWV 40, Act I: No. 25, Recitativo "Queste vittorie, io credo" (Serse)01:28
• 26Handel: Serse, HWV 40, Act I: No. 26, Aria "Più che penso alle fiamme del core" Andante (Serse)08:36
• 27Handel: Serse, HWV 40, Act I: No. 27, Recitativo "Eccoti il foglio, Elviro" (Arsamene)00:32
• 28Handel: Serse, HWV 40, Act I: No. 28, Arioso "Signor, Signor, lasciate fare a me" Allegro (Elviro)00:32
• 29Handel: Serse, HWV 40, Act I: No. 29, Aria "Non so se sia la speme" Larghetto (Arsamene)04:12
• 30Handel: Serse, HWV 40, Act I: No. 30, Recitativo "Tradir di regia sposa" (Amastre)00:17
• 31Handel: Serse, HWV 40, Act I: No. 31, Aria "Saprà delle mie offese" Allegro (Amastre)04:28
• 32Handel: Serse, HWV 40, Act I: No. 32, Recitativo "Al fin sarete sposa al vostro Serse" (Atalanta)01:01
• 33Handel: Serse, HWV 40, Act I: No. 33, Aria "Se l'idol mio" Allegro (Romilda)04:06
• 34Handel: Serse, HWV 40, Act I: No. 34, Recitativo "Per rapir quel tesore" (Atalanta)00:16
• 35Handel: Serse, HWV 40, Act I: No. 35, Aria "Un cenno leggiadretto" Allegro (Atalanta)03:39
• Serse, HWV 40, Act II:
• 36Handel: Serse, HWV 40, Act II: No. 36, Arioso "Speranze mie fermate" Larghetto (Amastre)00:41
• 37Handel: Serse, HWV 40, Act II: No. 37, Arioso "Ah, chi voler fiora di bella giardina" (Elviro)00:40
• 38Handel: Serse, HWV 40, Act II: No. 38, Recitativo "E chi direbbe mai ch'io sono Elviro?" (Elviro)02:25
• 39Handel: Serse, HWV 40, Act II: No. 39, Aria "Or che siete, speranze, tradite" Allegro (Amastre)02:29
• 40Handel: Serse, HWV 40, Act II: No. 40, Recitativo "Quel curioso è partito, oh! che indiscreto!" (Elviro)00:23
• 41Handel: Serse, HWV 40, Act II: No. 41, Arioso e Recitativo "A piangere ogn'ora" Largo (Atalanta)01:17
• 42Handel: Serse, HWV 40, Act II: No. 42, Arioso "Ah, tigre infedele!" Allegro (Elviro)00:14
• 43Handel: Serse, HWV 40, Act II: No. 43, Recitativo "Parti, il re s'avvicina" (Atalanta)00:17
• 44Handel: Serse, HWV 40, Act II: No. 44, Arioso "È tormento troppo fiero" Largo (Serse)01:04
• 45Handel: Serse, HWV 40, Act II: No. 45, Recitativo "Di quel foglio, Atalanta" (Serse)01:06
• 46Handel: Serse, HWV 40, Act II: No. 46, Aria "Dirà che amor per me" Andante allegro (Atalanta)01:32
• 47Handel: Serse, HWV 40, Act II: No. 47, Recitativo "Voi quel foglio lasciate a me per prova" (Serse)00:10
• 48Handel: Serse, HWV 40, Act II: No. 48, Aria "Dirà che non m'amò". Andante allegro (Atalanta)01:44
• 49Handel: Serse, HWV 40, Act II: No. 49, Recitativo "Ingannata Romilda!" (Serse)00:32
• 50Handel: Serse, HWV 40, Act II: No. 50, Duettino "L'amerete?" - "L'amerò" (Serse e Romilda)00:54
• 51Handel: Serse, HWV 40, Act II: No. 51, Aria "Se bramate d'amar chi vi sdegna" Allegro (Serse)05:53
• 52Handel: Serse, HWV 40, Act II: No. 52, Accompagnato "L'amerò? Non fia vero" (Romilda)00:56
• 53Handel: Serse, HWV 40, Act II: No. 53, Aria "È gelosia" Andante (Romilda)02:41
• 54Handel: Serse, HWV 40, Act II: No. 54, Recitativo "Giacché il duol non m'uccide" (Amastre)00:26
• 55Handel: Serse, HWV 40, Act II: No. 55, Aria "Anima infida" Allegro (Amastre)01:40
• 56Handel: Serse, HWV 40, Act II: No. 56, Recitativo "È pazzo affé" (Elviro)00:45
• 57Handel: Serse, HWV 40, Act II: No. 57, Aria "Quella che tutta fé" Largo (Arsamene)03:35
• 58Handel: Serse, HWV 40, Act II: No. 58, Coro "La virtute sol potea" (Marinari)00:23
• 59Handel: Serse, HWV 40, Act II: No. 59, Recitativo "Ariodate" (Serse)00:32
• 60Handel: Serse, HWV 40, Act II: No. 60, Coro "La virtute sol potea" (Marinari)00:26
• 61Handel: Serse, HWV 40, Act II: No. 61, Arioso "Per dar fine alla mia pena". Larghetto (Arsamene)01:01
• 62Handel: Serse, HWV 40, Act II: No. 62, Recitativo "Arsamene, over andate?" (Serse)01:15
• 63Handel: Serse, HWV 40, Act II: No. 63, Aria "Si, la voglio e l'otterrò!". Allegro (Arsamene)02:33
• 64Handel: Serse, HWV 40, Act II: No. 64, Recitativo "V'inchino, eccelso Re" (Atalanta)00:22
• 65Handel: Serse, HWV 40, Act II: No. 65, Aria "Voi mi dite che non l'ami" (Atalanta)02:57
• 66Handel: Serse, HWV 40, Act II: No. 66, Recitativo "Saria lieve ogni doglia" (Serse)00:17
• 67Handel: Serse, HWV 40, Act II: No. 67, Aria "Il core spera e teme" Andante larghetto (Serse)05:54
• 68Handel: Serse, HWV 40, Act II: No. 68, Accompagnato "Me infelice, ho smarrito il mio padrone!" (Elviro)00:58
• 69Handel: Serse, HWV 40, Act II: No. 69, Aria "Del mio caro Bacco amabile" Allegro (Elviro)01:17
• 70Handel: Serse, HWV 40, Act II: No. 70, Duettino "Gran pena è gelosia!" (Serse ed Amastre)01:35
• 71Handel: Serse, HWV 40, Act II: No. 71, Recitativo "Aspra sorte!" (Serse)00:58
• 72Handel: Serse, HWV 40, Act II: No. 72, Aria "Val più contento core" Allegro (Romilda)01:56
• 73Handel: Serse, HWV 40, Act II: No. 73, Recitativo "Vuò ch'abbian fine ai miei dolori immensi" (Serse)01:12
• 74Handel: Serse, HWV 40, Act II: No. 74, Aria "Chi cede al furore" Allegro (Romilda)05:07
• Serse, HWV 40, Act III:
• 75Handel: Serse, HWV 40, Act III: No. 75, Sinfonia. Andante02:47
• 76Handel: Serse, HWV 40, Act III: No. 76, Recitativo "Sono vani i pretesti…" (Arsamene)01:33
• 77Handel: Serse, HWV 40, Act III: No. 77, Aria "No, no, se tu mi sprezzi" Andante allegro (Atalanta)01:02
• 78Handel: Serse, HWV 40, Act III: No. 78, Recitativo. "Ecco in segno di fé la destra amica" (Romilda)01:18
• 79Handel: Serse, HWV 40, Act III: No. 79, Aria "Per rendermi beato" Andante (Serse)03:27
• 80Handel: Serse, HWV 40, Act III: No. 80, Recitativo "Ubbidirò il mio re?" (Arsamene)00:57
• 81Handel: Serse, HWV 40, Act III: No. 81, Aria "Amore, tiranno Amor" Larghetto (Arsamene)03:45
• 82Handel: Serse, HWV 40, Act III: No. 82, Recitativo "Come già vi accennammo" (Serse)00:41
• 83Handel: Serse, HWV 40, Act III: No. 83, Aria "Del Ciel d'amore" Andante allegro (Ariodate)02:20
• 84Handel: Serse, HWV 40, Act III: No. 84, Recitativo "Il suo serto rifiuto" (Romilda)02:57
• 85Handel: Serse, HWV 40, Act III: No. 85, Aria "Cagion son io" Andante (Amastre)02:31
• 86Handel: Serse, HWV 40, Act III: No. 86, Recitativo "Romilda infida, e di me pensa ancora?" (Arsamene)00:19
• 87Handel: Serse, HWV 40, Act III: No. 87, Duetto "Troppo oltraggi la mia fede" (Romilda and Arsamene)02:37
• 88Handel: Serse, HWV 40, Act III: No. 88, Coro "Ciò che Giove destinò" (Ministri)00:36
• 89Handel: Serse, HWV 40, Act III: No. 89, Recitativo "Ecco lo sposo! Io ben ne fui presago" (Ariodate)01:06
• 90Handel: Serse, HWV 40, Act III: No. 90, Coro "Chi infelice si trovò" (Ministri)00:24
• 91Handel: Serse, HWV 40, Act III: No. 91, Recitativo "Se ne viene Ariodate. È tempo omai" (Serse)01:56
• 92Handel: Serse, HWV 40, Act III: No. 92, Aria "Crude furie degl'orridi abissi" Allegro (Serse)03:29
• 93Handel: Serse, HWV 40, Act III: No. 93, Recitativo "Perfidi! E ancor osate" (Serse)01:54
• 94Handel: Serse, HWV 40, Act III: No. 94, Aria e Coro "Caro voi siete all'alma" Andante (Romilda)03:43
• Total Runtime02:46:10

Info for Handel: Serse

Handel’s opera Serse is characterised by its ironic libretto, humorous situations, and high number of short arias.

The main character is the unpredictably obsessive and volatile King Xerxes, a historical character who ruled the Achemenid Empire from 486 BC to 465 BC. The plot concerning the rivalry between Xerxes and his brother, Arsamene, for Romilda, however, is entirely fictional, as is the King’s betrayal of his fiancé, Amastre.

The opera is based on a libretto adapted by the poet Silvio Stampiglia for Giovanni Bononcini, whose setting was staged at Rome’s Teatro di Torre Nona in 1694. Handel completed his opera in 1738 in little more than a month. However, his typically swift pace and resourceful treatment of musical themes and models should not be misconstrued as complacency, carelessness, or low imaginative powers. The autograph manuscript reveals that Handel invested considerable skill in arias that are perfectly tailored to the dramatic storyline, many of which were meticulously crafted and then redrafted.

The opera was premiered at The King’s Theatre on the Haymarket on 15 April 1738, but it only received five performances, which at the time ranked it as one of Handel’s worst commercial failures. The opera was not performed again until Oscar Hagen’s arrangement was staged at Göttingen in 1924, after which several productions in the USA and the UK followed. In recent times, the work has finally received the recognition it deserves, partly thanks to the uncut production, mounted at English National Opera to mark the composer’s 300th birthday in 1985.

Serse is here performed by the Early Opera Company under Christian Curnyn, who won a BBC Music Award in 2013 for its recording of Handel’s Alceste. They are joined on this recording by a host of excellent soloists including Rosemary Joshua in the role of Romilda, Anna Stéphany as Xerxes, David Daniels as Arsamene, and Hilary Summers as Amastre.

"[Stéphany's] is a stunning central performance, comfortably matched by incisive playing from the Early Opera Company orchestra. Sopranos Rosemary Joshua (as Romilda) and Joelle Harvey (Atalanta) melt and sparkle to order, accompanied by fluttering recorders." (BBC Music Magazine)

"an extremely classy account...Stéphany can compete with the best of today’s mezzos: she combines feeling, dignity, elegance...this really is a baroque vocal feast...Curnyn shows such an easy command of the idiom: there is no aggressive accenting or exaggeration of tempo." (Financial Times)

"Stephany sings superbly...Joshua far eclipses her counterparts on the rival recordings, singing with sweet, sensuous tone and characterising deftly...Summers suggests the pathos as well as the outrage of Serse's wrong fiancee Amastre...this beautifully recorded new version is the one to go for." 8Gramophone Magazine)

"Stéphany does a good job with the unstable Xerxes, snapping between sentimentality and psychopathy, and sings the part forcefully and with character...Curnyn conducts with spirit, though things flag a bit at the beginning of Act 3." (Opera Now)

Anna Stéphany, mezzosoprano
David Daniels, counter-tenor
Hilary Summers, contralto
Brindly Sheratt, bass
Rosemary Joshua, soprano
Joélle Harvey, soprano
Andreas Wolf, bass-baritone
Early Opera Company
Christian Curnyn, conductor

Anna Stéphany
Anglo-French mezzo-soprano Anna Stéphany made her Royal Opera debut in the 2016/17 Season as Octavian (Der Rosenkavalier).

Stéphany was born in north-east England and studied at King’s College London and the National Opera Studio. She joined the ensemble of Zürich Opera House in 2012, with her roles for the company including Cherubino (Le nozze di Figaro), Dorabella (Così fan tutte), Sesto (La clemenza di Tito) and Siébel (Faust). Further roles include Rosina (Il barbiere di Siviglia) for Théâtre du Châtelet, Annio (La clemenza di Tito) for Bavarian State Opera, the title role in Charpentier’s Médée for Chicago Opera Theatre and Octavian (Der Rosenkavalier) for the Bolshoi Theatre and Royal Swedish Opera.

In concert, Stéphany has performed with such ensembles as the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, Philharmonia Orchestra, Ensemble Pygmalion, Balthasar Neumann Ensemble and La Scintilla, with conductors including William Christie, Laurence Cummings, Thomas Hengelbrock, Jakub Hrůša and Raphaël Pichon. Further performances include at the 2016 BBC Proms with the London Philharmonic Orchestra and Vladimir Jurowski, Bach’s St Matthew Passion with the Gabrieli Concert in Schaffhausen and Elgar’s Sea Pictures with the Bremen Philharmonic Orchestra. Her recordings include the title role of Handel’s Serse with Christian Curnyn and Early Opera Company, nominated for a Gramophone Classical Music Award.

Christian Curnyn
is widely recognised as one of the UK’s leading conductors specialising in the Baroque and Classical repertoire. In 1994, Christian founded the Early Opera Company, with whom he set out to reinvigorate the Baroque repertoire. Christian and the EOC appear regularly at Wigmore Hall and St John’s Smith Square for the London Festival of Baroque Music. They have also performed at the BBC Proms as well as at the Cheltenham, Spitalfields, York Early Music and Kilkenny Arts Festivals. The EOC made their debut at Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw with a double bill of Dido and Aeneas and Blow’s Venus and Adonis in 2018.

Highly regarded for his energetic conducting and creative vision, Christian has conducted Handel’s Saul and Giulio Cesare for Opera North, Die Zauberflöte and Handel’s Amadigi for Garsington Opera, Handel’s Semele for Scottish Opera and Grange Park Opera, for whom he has also conducted Mozart's Le nozze di Figaro, and Cavalli’s Eliogabalo. He is a regular at English National Opera where successes have included Olivier Award-winning productions of Handel’s Partenope and Rameau’s Castor et Pollux (dir. Barrie Kosky), After Dido (Katie Mitchell’s realisation of Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas), Handel’s Giulio Cesare, Charpentier’s Medée, and Handel's Rodelinda. For The Royal Opera, Covent Garden he has conducted Britten’s The Beggar’s Opera Monteverdi's Il ritorno d'Ulisse at The Roundhouse, Cavalli's L'Ormindo to inaugurate their series at the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse at Shakespeare’s The Globe, where he returned for Luigi Rossi’s Orfeo, which was nominated for an Olivier Award. Most recently he conducted Apollo e Dafne and a concert production of Handel’s Ariodante at the Royal Opera House.

Christian’s work in Europe and beyond includes Partenope with Opera Australia, Vivaldi’s Farnace and Handel’s Ariodante for Landestheater Salzburg, Cavalli’s La Calisto and Gluck’s Ezio for Frankfurt Opera, Castor et Pollux and Zoroastre by Rameau at Komische Oper Berlin, Rameau’s Platée, Purcell’s The Fairy Queen and Handel’s Alcina at Stuttgart Opera, Mozart Idomeneo for Teatro Nacional de Sao Carlos and Le nozze di Figaro at Theater Basel. In the USA Christian has conducted Partenope and Cosi fan Tutte for New York City Opera, Handel's Tolomeo for Glimmerglass Opera, and Cavalli's Giasone and Charpentier’s Medée for Chicago Opera Theater.

Specialist early music ensembles among Christian’s regular collaborators include Academy of Ancient Music, AKAMUS, English Concert, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, and the Irish and Wroclaw Baroque orchestras. Alongside this work he takes a particular interest in performing Baroque and Classical repertoire with modern forces, including collaborations with Bournemouth Symphony, Ulster, Hallé, Scottish Chamber Orchestra (including a recording on the Decca label with Nicola Benedetti), Swedish Chamber Orchestra, Stavanger Symphony, Ensemble Resonanz and Essen Philharmoniker. He has also conducted a Messiah tour in Australia with the Tasmanian, West Australian and Adelaide Symphony Orchestras.

Recent and forthcoming highlights include concerts with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, Budapest Festival Orchestra, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, SWR Symphonieorchester, BBC NOW, and Komische Oper Berlin, Acis and Galatea with his Early Opera Company for the Buxton Festival, a new production of Handel’s Orlando for Oper Halle which will also celebrate the 100th year of the Halle Festival, Semele with AKAMUS and Opera Collective Ireland and a return to the Royal Opera House Covent Garden for a new production of Handel’s Alcina. With the Early Opera Company he will conduct concerts at the Wigmore Hall, Bruges and Amsterdam Concertgebouw and St John Smith Square as well as releasing their recording of Handel’s Amadigi on Chandos Records. His extensive discography with the Early Opera Company for the Chandos label includes their 2005 recording of Partenope which won widespread critical acclaim, and their recording of Semele was chosen as a Best Recording of 2008 by The Sunday Times, Editor’s Choice in Gramophone Magazine and awarded the 2008 Stanley Sadie Handel Prize. Further releases include Il Trionfo del Tempo for Wigmore Live, Eccles’ The Judgement of Paris, (awarded a Diapason D’or), Britten’s The Beggar’s Opera, Handel’s Flavio, Alceste (winner of the Opera award in the BBC Music Magazine Awards 2013), Serse, and most recently Acis & Galetea (winner of the Opera category of the 2019 BBC Music Magazine Awards).

Booklet for Handel: Serse