Episodes
| Episode | Title | First Broadcast | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Giustino (acts 1 And 2) | 20091105 | BBC Radio 3's complete cycle of Handel operas continues with Giustino - the story of a peasant's rise of the rank of emperor. Full of spectacle, the opera was composed for the 1736-37 Covent Garden season and based on an episode in Byzantine history. It begins with the coronation of Anastasio by Empress Arianna being interrupted by news of the advance of the rebel Vitaliano, who's demanding Arianna's hand. The peasant Giustino is told by the goddess Fortuna to join the war against the rebel. Immediately he saves the life of Anastasio's sister Leocasta who is being chased by a bear - and later he rescues Arianna herself from a sea-monster. Presented by Jonathan Swain, who is joined in the studio by Michael Chance, who sings the title role. Handel: Giustino (Acts 1 and 2) Giustino - Michael Chance (countertenor) Arianna - Dorothea Roschmann (soprano) Anastasio - Dawn Kotoski (soprano) Leocasta - Jennifer Lane (contralto) Vitaliano - Mark Padmore (tenor) Amanzio - Drew Minter (countertenor) Fortuna - Juliana Gondek (soprano) Polidarte - Dean Ely (bass-baritone) Halle Cantamus Chorus Freiburg Baroque Orchestra Nicholas McGegan (conductor). Radio 3's complete cycle of Handel operas continues with Acts 1 and 2 of Giustino. Radio 3 marks the 250th anniversary of Handel's death with a complete cycle of his operas |
| 02 | Giustino (Act 3) | 20091106 | Jonathan Swain presents Act 3 of Handel's opera Giustino, which concludes with the metoric rise of the peasant Giustino. He has captured and imprisoned the rebel Vitaliano, but the final act opens with Vitaliano's escape from prison. Handel: Giustino (Act 3) Giustino ...... Michael Chance (countertenor) Jonathan Swain presents Act 3 of Handel's Giustino, featuring Michael Chance. Radio 3 marks the 250th anniversary of Handel's death with a complete cycle of his operas |