Farinelli vs. Carestini

In the London of 1734-35, fierce competition raged a between the city’s opera houses: with the Royal Academy of Music, the opera company founded by George Frideric Handel in 1719, the latter had firm control of the London opera scene. In the Haymarket Theatre and later in the Covent Garden Theatre, he offered high society everything they could wish for: stars from Italy, custom-written arias, opulent stagings and gripping plots. But in 1733, a powerful rival entered the scene: the Opera of the Nobility, founded by a group of nobles, under the direction of Nicola Porpora. It was the beginning of a bitter rivalry – not only behind the scenes, but on stage as well. At the centre of this musical dual stood two of the most famous castrati of their time: Farinelli, the charismatic star of the Opera of the Nobility, and Carestini, Handel’s celebrated singer. By analogy, in this programme Concerto Köln juxtaposes arias that were written specially for these two legendary rivals.

Tickets:

50/35 €