Vivaldi – Bajazet (Margheri, Giusti, ROH) (320 kbps .mp3)
Sean Rafferty presents the first opera by Vivaldi ever performed at the Royal Opera House in London, a co-production with Irish National Opera featuring the Irish Baroque Orchestra and their artistic director Peter Whelan, with stage direction by Adele Thomas. The brutal conqueror Tamerlano has crushed the Ottoman Emperor Bajazet and imprisoned him in his own palace. But now Tamerlano has fallen for Bajazet's traumatised daughter Asteria - to the horror of both Asteria's admirer, the Greek Prince Andronico, and Tamerlano's intended bride Irene, Princess of Trebizond.
Bajazet .... Gianluca Margheri (bass-baritone)
Tamerlano ..... Francesco Giusti (countertenor)
Asteria ..... Niamh O’Sullivan (mezzo-soprano)
Andronico ..... Eric Jurenas (countertenor)
Irene ..... Claire Booth (soprano)
Idaspe ..... Aoife Miskelly (soprano)
Irish Baroque Orchestra
Conductor Peter Whelan
Image: © ROH