HANDEL Belshazzar
Nitocris, mother of Belshazzar
Maya Kherani, soprano
Daniel, a Jewish prophet
Sarah Coit, mezzo-soprano
Cyrus, Prince of Persia
Eric Jurenas, countertenor
Belshazzar, King of Babylon
Matthew Hill, tenor
Gobryas, an Assyrian Nobleman
Mischa Bouvier, bass-baritone
A dramatic account of the fall of Babylon at the hands of Cyrus the Great, the founder of the first Persian empire, and the ensuing freeing of the Jewish nation as told by Daniel, the noble youth of Jerusalem, is the subject of Handel's oratorio, composed during the peak of his creative life. After falling into neglect after Handel's death, 21st-century revivals of this splendid music have been presented in Zurich and Aix-en-Provence. A central and guiding character of Queen Nitocris, the mother of Belshazzar, encourages the story's triumphant ending.
American Bach Soloists
American Bach Cantorei
Jeffrey Thomas, conductor
This performance is sponsored in part by Marie Hogan and James R. Meehan.
Mischa Bouvier's appearance is sponsored by Hugh Davies & Kaneez Munjee and Margaret Harrington.