Händel (Opus Arte, Box, 3 Blu-rays)

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This set brings together three of Handel’s most compelling works for the stage in lavish Glyndebourne productions featuring period-instrument accompaniment from the renowned Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment. David McVicar directs an all-star cast in Giulio Cesare, combining serious insight with entertainment to bring the masterpiece to life, aided by vivid playing from the OAE under William Christie. In Robert Carsen’s fun-filled transformation of Rinaldo, lacrosse sticks and flying bicycles lend the fantasy’s warriors and witches contemporary chic, with conductor Ottavio Dantone leading a youthful cast from the keyboard in Handelian fashion. Director Barrie Kosky’s Glyndebourne debut, Saul stole the 2015 Festival season and had critics raving. The Glyndebourne chorus plays an outstanding role, and the OAE sparkles under Ivor Bolton, as the Old Testament story is retold in Handel’s time with witty anachronisms from costume designer Katrin Lea Tag.

01. Georg Friedrich Händel: Giulio Cesare in Egitto
02. Georg Friedrich Händel: Rinaldo
03. Georg Friedrich Händel: Saul