Live from London Summer

Mary Bevan and Barnaby Smith: Heroes & Heroines - Star soprano Mary Bevan joins forces with VOCES8’s Artistic Director and countertenor Barnaby Smith to explore the themes of loss, love, power and fulfilment through a collection of Handel’s finest arias and duets. Handel’s many stage works contain plot twists aplenty, yet almost without fail and as demanded by audiences of the time, the heroic characters end up victorious; triumphant in combat and perched on a morally higher plane, or restored to their amorous bliss - most often both. But dig a little deeper and this acerbic stance strains under scrutiny. As the heroes and heroines exposed by Handel’s music encourage us to explore our own vulnerabilities, we are drawn into an emotional openness which allows this wonderful composer to reach into our souls with his music. Accompanied by Baroque ensemble The Illyria Consort, join us for an evening of Handelian bliss as we consider ‘These labours past’.