The Elector and/or the King

Donald Macleod follows Handel’s move north to Hanover and his increasingly decisive drift towards London. Appointed to the Elector’s court, he secured generous terms - including the freedom to travel - and wasted little time in doing so. London proved irresistible: success with Rinaldo made him a sensation, and the pull of the city soon outweighed his duties back in Germany. Handel’s returns to Hanover became brief and reluctant, as he repeatedly slipped back across the Channel in search of opportunity. The situation took an unexpected turn when his employer, the Elector Georg Ludwig, inherited the British throne as George I - leaving Handel, now firmly established in London, dependent once again on the favour of the very patron from whom he had struggled to run away...

Eternal Source of Light Divine
Elin Manahan Thomas, soprano
Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment
Harry Christophers, conductor

In den angenehmen Büschen (Nine German Arias)
Emma Kirkby, soprano
London Baroque

Rinaldo: Overture
Freiburger Barockorchester
René Jacobs, conductor

Silla: Overture
London Handel Orchestra
Denys Darlow, conductor

Il pastor fido: Sol nel mezzo risona del core
Allan Clayton, tenor
The Mozartists
Ian Page, conductor

Water Music Suite No. 2 in D major
The English Concert
Trevor Pinnock, conductor

Produced by Ellie Ajao for BBC Audio Wales