Simone Kermes, and Handel

Not too many composers or compositions have survived in the top ranks of my nearly 70 years of listening. One who has survived, however, is Georg Frideric Händel (however his name is spelled through the ages). To this day, I listen to a lot of Handel's music (mainly arias from his 50 or so operas, or his many Italian cantatas). Like Richard Strauss, Handel appears to have loved the soprano voice (and I join them in this). For 18^th century baroque music, I often turn to the German soprano Simone Kermes. She is a lover of 18^th century baroque opera, and this shows in her singing, her dedication, and in her choice of musical partners. My current listening is a CD of Handel's music with the late Alan Curtis and Il Complesso Barocco. A wonderful selection of arias by lovelorn sorceresses billed as La Maga Abbandonata. One hour of listening to some of the greatest music of Europe, sung by a supreme coloratura soprano. A recording from my “keep at hand and do not file away” selection. Who can possibly resist “Pena tirana” from Amadigi, or “Ah, mio cor” from Alcina? Not I. Music for eternity, music to die to.