Hooked on Handel!

Christian Kjos, artistic director and organ soloist Silvia Frigato, soprano Cecilia Bernardini, concertmaster Barokkanerne Georg Friedrich Händel is one of the most central composers of the Baroque period – a cosmopolitan figure who moved between German, Italian, and English musical cultures, leaving a lasting mark in opera, oratorio, church music, and instrumental music. One of the most characteristic aspects of his creative practice is the way he could extract, transform, and combine musical material across works and genres. This concert showcases this very breadth and creative power. Here we meet Händel as a melodist, dramatist, and instrumental composer, ranging from the virtuosic church music and concerto grosso to the intimate, theatrical cantata and organ concerto. The dramatic cantata Delirio amoroso comes from Händel's formative years in Italy, a period that had a crucial impact on his development as a composer. It already contains much of what would later characterize his operas: a close connection between text and music, strong emotional expressions, and a distinctive melodic imagination. Alongside it stands the virtuosic Latin motet Silete venti, concerto grosso op. 6 no. 7, and organ concertos – works that demonstrate the range of Händel's musical language. The program also illustrates Händel's creative reuse of his own material, which could move between works, be processed, and acquire new functions. For example, in the organ concerto in B major, HWV 290, we find material that also appears in Silete venti. This practice is central to artistic director Christian Kjos, who has dedicated his doctoral research to Händel. In the concert, Kjos continues this practice by composing a new organ concerto from Händel's own material, which he also performs as a soloist. Soprano Silvia Frigato has an extensive international career, with Baroque vocal repertoire as a central focus. She is an expressive and dramatic musician who has previously collaborated with Barokkanerne, returning here in Delirio amoroso and Silete venti – two works that demand high levels of both virtuosity and expression. With Cecilia Bernardini as concertmaster and Barokkanerne on stage, the concert paints a broad portrait of Händel – and of a creative practice where music could continually be processed, moved, and assembled in new ways. In Majorstuen Church, the audience sits around the ensemble, close to the musicians. This creates a near and intimate setting for the concert. Program Georg Friedrich Händel (1685–1759): Organ concerto in B major, op. 4 no. 2, HWV 290 Christian Kjos, organ G. F. Händel: Excerpts from Delirio amoroso, HWV 99 Silvia Frigato, soprano G. F. Händel: Concerto grosso in B major, op. 6 no. 7, HWV 325 Christian Kjos after G. F. Händel: Organ concerto Christian Kjos, organ G. F. Händel: Silete venti, HWV 242 Silvia Frigato, soprano Artistic leadership and soloists Barokkanerne, with their artistic director, lutenist Jadran Duncumb, is Norway's leading Baroque ensemble. With an informal and refreshing approach, we renew the way Baroque music is performed and presented – always with artistic quality at the highest level. Read more at barokkanerne.no.