Handel (The Dent master musicians) - Tapa dura

Although works such as Messiah and the Water Music have remained firmly in the repertory since their composition, only recently have the delights of Handel's operas been rediscovered. Centring on Handel's pre-eminence as a composer of opera and oratorio, Donald Burrows's study also covers all the other important genres, such as the concerto and church music. He charts the interaction of life and music, from Handel's childhood and student years through his successive professional activities in Germany and Italy, to his establishment as Georgian England's greatest composer.