On this evening, the La Cetra Barockorchester & Vokalensemble Basel will present Georg Friedrich Händel’s serenata, “Parnasso in festa,” HWV 73. Like so many musical genres, the term “serenata” is not entirely unambiguous and has undergone various historical reinterpretations. While it has been used more or less synonymously with the open-ended “serenade” since the 19th century, the serenata still had a relatively clear function in the 17th and 18th centuries—a musico-dramatic work that was played in the evening to celebrate royal weddings, birthdays, or coronations. Depending on the scale of the occasion, it varied formally between a cantata and a grand opera. Händel's “Il Parnasso in festa” falls somewhere in between: first performed at the King's Theatre in London in 1734, Händel wrote it for the celebrations of the wedding of Princess Anne to Wilhelm von Oranien. Anne, the daughter of the British King George II, was a pupil and patron of Händel. “Il Parnasso in festa” is about the mythical marriage of Tetis and Peleus on Mount Parnassus, which is attended by host Apollo, the Muses, and the great singer Orpheus. It was recorded and released on CD by La Cetra in 2017. It’s a musical feast that sounds just as magnificent as its content and genesis promise.
Tickets are CHF 30-90, half-price for students, and CHF 5 for youths up to age 14.

Website
lacetra.ch/en/konzerte/parnasso-in-festa/

Where
Stadtcasino Basel
Konzertgasse 1
4051 Basel

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