Handel’s ninth major opera for London, Alessandro was written as\na showcase for the “Rival Queens”, the two famous Italian sopranos\n– Francesca Cuzzoni and Faustina Bordoni – whose supposed enmity,\nboth personal and professional, not only generated good publicity\nfor Handel’s latest opera but also added extra dramatic frisson to\nthe two divas’ jealous clashes on stage.

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Still something of a rarity even in this heyday of the Handel\nrevival, Alessandro has only ever been recorded twice before over\nthe past 30 years, and never previously with such a starry trio of\nsingers in the three lead roles.

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Marking the start of an exciting new partnership with the\nsensational Croatian counter-tenor Max Emanuel Cenèiæ (and his\ncompany Parnassus Arts) that will involve both solo and ensemble\nrecordings, this new recording stars Cenèiæ himself as Alexander\nthe Great (a role originally sung by the legendary castrato\nSenesino), with acclaimed French Canadian soprano Karina Gauvin as\nthe Scythian princess Lisaura, and the sensational young Russian\nsoprano Julia Lezhneva – making her debut appearance as Decca’s\nlatest exciting solo signing – in the role of Roxana, the Persian\nprincess who finally wins the conqueror’s heart.

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Recorded at the Megaron concert hall in Athens, this new\nrecording of Handel’s classical epic features the period\ninstruments of Armonia Atenea conducted by George Petrou, the\nbrilliant young Baroque specialist whose previous recordings of\nHandel operas (Oreste, Arianna in Creta, Tamerlano, Giulio Cesare\nand the pasticcio Alessandro Severo) have won numerous\ninternational awards.

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Handel: Alessandro, HWV21

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Maxim Emmanuel Cencic (Alessandro), Karina Gauvin (Lisaura),\nJulia Lezhneva (Roxana), Xavier Sabata (Tassile), Juan Sancho\n(Leonato)

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Armonia Atenea, George Petrou

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CD - 3 discs

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