La Francesina, Handel's nightingale Sophie Junker, Le Concert de l'Hostel Dieu & Franck-Emmanuel Comte

• Georg Friedrich Händel (1685 - 1759): Joseph and his Brethren, HWV 59, Act II Scene 2:
• 1Joseph and his Brethren, HWV 59, Act II Scene 2: Prophetic raptures swell my breast (Asenath)08:22
• Ode to St. Cecilia's day, HWV 76:
• 2Ode to St. Cecilia's day, HWV 76: What passion cannot raise and quell!07:42
• Deidamia, HWV 42, Act II Scene 9:
• 3Deidamia, HWV 42, Act II Scene 9: Và, perfido ! Quel cor mi tradirà (Deidamia)05:34
• Belshazzar, HWV 61:
• 4Belshazzar, HWV 61: Sinfonia "Allegro Postillons"01:44
• Semele, HWV 58, Act III Scene 3:
• 5Semele, HWV 58, Act III Scene 3: Myself I shall adore (Semele)07:09
• Semele, HWV 58:
• 6Semele, HWV 58: Overture04:57
• Hercules, HWV 60, Act I Scene 5:
• 7Hercules, HWV 60, Act I Scene 5: My father! Ah! (Iole)06:14
• The Occasional Oratorio, HWV 62:
• 8The Occasional Oratorio, HWV 62: Musette from "Sinfonia"05:06
• Faramondo, HWV 39, Act I Scene 15:
• 9Faramondo, HWV 39, Act I Scene 15: Mi parto lieta sulla tua fede! (Clotilde)05:49
• Saul, HWV 53, Act III Scene 5:
• 10Saul, HWV 53, Act III Scene 5: In sweetest harmony they lived (Michal)05:47
• Deidamia, HWV 42, Act I Scene 5:
• 11Deidamia, HWV 42, Act I Scene 5: Nasconde l'usignol in alto rami il nido (Deidamia)06:15
• Serse, HWV 40, Act I Scene 7:
• 12Serse, HWV 40, Act I Scene 7: Nè men con l'ombre d'infedeltà" (Romilda)02:57
• Total Runtime01:07:36

Info for La Francesina, Handel's nightingale

A curious time trip with Elisabeth Duparc (?–1778): born in France and trained in Italy, she found fame and recognition in London. The Francesina (“little Frenchwoman”) was one of Handel’s last muses, at a time when Handel was increasingly abandoning the splendour of Italian opera for the spiritual elevation of the oratorio. Duparc’s contemporaries praised the sound and agility of her voice, and both Mary Delany and Charles Burney gave detailed testimony to the “warbling” quality of her voice. Consequently, Handel composed “nightingale arias” for her, such as The Morning Lark (from Semele) and Nasconde l’usignol (from Deidamia). In this recording, Belgian singer Sophie Junker pays tribute to La Francesina and celebrates the fruits of her collaboration with Handel, which lasted more than a decade.

Sophie Junker, soprano
Le Concert de l’Hostel Dieu
Franck-Emmanuel Comte, musical director

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Sophie Junker
The Belgian soprano Sophie Junker studied at the IMEP (Institut Supérieur de Musique et de Pédagogie) in Namur, and at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London. She is a Samling Scholar and winner of the first prize at the 2010 London Handel Competition and the 2012 International Cesti Competition. Ms. Junker’s operatic repertoire includes Susanna (Le nozze di Figaro), Marzelline (Fidelio), Serpetta (La finta giardiniera), Despina (Così fan tutte), Atalanta (Xerxes), Adina (L’elisir d’amore), Zdenka (Arabella), and Sophie (Werther). She has appeared with such prestigious ensembles as the King’s Consort, the Academy of Ancient Music, Wiener Akademie, Bach Collegium of Japan, and The English Concert.

Booklet for La Francesina, Handel's nightingale