Mr Charles the Hungarian. Handel's Rival in Dublin

Featuring

Peter Whelan
Anneke Scott
Miriam Kaczor
Leo Duarte
Michele Fattori
Nicola Boud

Jonathan Byers
Patrick Broderick
Irish Baroque Orchestra
George Frideric Handel
Johann Adolph Hasse
Georg Philipp Telemann
Lorenzo Bocchi
Mr. Charles (Monsieur Charle or Charles the Hungarian)
Jean-Baptiste Lully

Did you know?

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Recording & Production

This album was recorded in St Peter's Church of Ireland, Drogheda, in April 2022.

Composer Biography

Mr. Charles, probably Charles (Carlo) Vernsberg, was a horn player who performed across England and Ireland, taught music, and even managed a theatre in Bristol.

Historical Context

Mr. Charles, a horn player, advertised a concert in Dublin in 1742 featuring instruments like the Clarinet, Hautbois de Amour, and Shalamo, which he claimed had never been heard in Ireland before.

Historical Context

Eighteenth-century audiences expected novelty at concerts, and musicians like Mr. Charles presented a mix of new compositions, popular pieces by famous composers, and their own music.

Performer Biography

Peter Whelan, the director of this album, is an Olivier award-winner and Artistic Director of the Irish Baroque Orchestra, known for exploring and championing neglected Baroque and Classical music.

Instruments

The chalumeau, also known as 'Shalamo', is a single-reed instrument with a soft, beguiling tone, used by composers for special effects in operas and cantatas.

Interpretation

The album features works by Handel, like Water Music and Concerto grosso Op. 3 No. 3, in versions published by John Walsh, Handel's main publisher, reflecting the 18th-century practice of adapting musical material.