Händel’s triumph

Orfeus Barock and outstanding vocal soloists take to the Main Hall to perform Handel’s Il trionfo del Tempo e del Disinganno (The Triumph of Time and Insight) – the first complete performance in Konserthuset’s history.

Among the soloists is one of the world’s leading mezzo-sopranos: Swedish Ann Hallenberg, a specialist in baroque repertoire. She has worked with the foremost orchestras and opera houses around the globe, as well as with conductors and leaders such as Fabio Biondi, Marc Minkowski and Riccardo Muti. Also featured are French soprano Suzanne Jerosme, Spanish mezzo-soprano/alto Lucía Caihuela Jiménez and Swedish tenor Martin Vanberg.

Handel’s first oratorio was composed in 1707 during his time in Italy. Il trionfo del Tempo e del Disinganno is filled with vivid arias and expressive recitatives. The work includes some of Handel’s most beloved melodies – most famously the aria Lascia la spina, cogli la rosa, which he later reused in the opera Rinaldo as the even more well-known Lascia ch’io pianga.

With its allegorical narrative and rich, expressive music – inspired by Italian opera – this work is a forerunner of Handel’s later, more renowned oratorios, such as Messiah and Saul. Exploring timeless themes of life’s transience and spiritual insight, it is one of Handel’s most fascinating early works – a milestone in the Baroque oratorio tradition.

In under a decade, Orfeus Barock Stockholm has established itself as a vibrant and creative force in Sweden’s early music scene. The ensemble is here led by Spanish conductor and harpsichordist Julio Caballero Pérez.