Handel's cantata "Armida abbandonata" was written in June 1707 for Marquis Francesco Maria Ruspoli, who employed Handel at his Roman palace and country estate.
Performer Biography
Elin Manahan Thomas, the soprano on this recording, is the first singer ever to record Bach's "Alles mit Gott," a birthday ode discovered in 2005.
Composer Biography
Margherita Durastanti, the talented soloist for whom Handel wrote "Armida abbandonata" and "Tu fedel? Tu costante?", later followed him to London and sang in his operas during the 1720s.
Historical Context
Most of Handel's chamber cantatas were written in Rome between 1707 and 1709, where opera was banned by Papal decree, making cantatas the main vehicle for star singers.
Recording & Production
This album was recorded live on September 16, 2006, at the Grove Auditorium, Magdalen College, Oxford, as part of the 2006 Handel in Oxford Festival.
Compositional Technique
Handel's cantatas "Agrippina" and "Armida" show him experimenting by blurring the distinction between recitative and aria to capture the mental turmoil of his characters.
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