As champion of music from Ireland, Peter Whelan and his Irish Baroque Orchestra give a rare glimpse into a fascinating figure of the eighteenth-century Dublin music scene. Who was Rachel Baptist? Not much is known of the ‘Celebrated Black Syren’, other than she was a soprano of African descent and born in Ireland, sang regularly in Dublin, London, Liverpool and other cities, and performed alongside famed castrato Giusto Ferdinando Tenducci. The programme includes works that Baptist might have performed at the ‘Grand Concert of Vocal and Instrumental Musick’ held in 1752, including arias by Handel, Pasquali (a couple of premiere recordings), Purcell and some additional instrumental pieces. The ‘resplendent’ Rachel Redmond (The New York Times) is the soprano.
Works:
•Georg Friedrich Händel: Samson-Ouvertüre
• Georg Friedrich Händel: Mirth, admit me of thy crew aus "L'Allegro, il Penseroso ed il Moderato"
• Georg Friedrich Händel: Alla Caccia "Diana cacciatrice"
• Nicolo Pasquali: The Grand Festino-Ouvertüre
• Nicolo Pasquali: Let earth and air and ocean aus "The Triumphs of Hibernia"
• Nicolo Pasquali: Nature first played well her part aus "Nymphs of the Springs"
• Francesco Geminiani: Concerto grosso "La Folia" op. 5 Nr. 12
• Henry Purcell: Fairest isle aus "King Arthur"