Esther (Handel)
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Esther is an oratorio by George Frideric Handel. It is generally acknowledged to be the first English oratorio. Handel set a libretto after the Old Testament drama by Jean Racine. The work was origina
George Frideric Handel
Esther by John Everett Millais
Esther Denouncing Haman by Ernest Normand
London King's Theatre Haymarket, where the 1732 version of "Esther" was first performed
Senesino
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Francesco Bernardi, known as Senesino, was an Italian contralto castrato, particularly remembered today for his long collaboration with the composer George Frideric Handel. He was also involved in a p
Esther (Handel)
…Zion in Jerusalem Roles, voice types, and premiere cast Role Voice 1732 cast Esther soprano Anna Maria Strada Ahasuerus, King of Persia alto-castrato Senesino Mordecai contralto Francesca Bertolli Haman bass Antonio Montagnana Harbonah contralto Francesca Bertolli Israelite Woman soprano Ann Turner Robinson…
Senesino c. 1720
Senesino in 1735, by Van Haecken after Hudson
Portrait of the contralto castrato Francesco Bernardi, better known under his stage name Senesino; at the same time a parody of the castrati and their singing – and the wealth they earned with it. The lines beneath the portrait read, in Italian and English: "Renown'd Sienna gave him birth and name / Kind Heaven his Voice and Harmony his Fame / While here the Great and Fair their Tribute bring / The Deaf may wonder whence his Merits spring / But all think Fortune just, that hear him sing".