This specially priced two volume set includes a reissue of the first volume, covering Handel's operatic works from 1704-1726 and originally published by Oxford University Press in 1995, and Winton Dean's acclaimed second volume (1726-1741), which first appeared in 2006. These volumes contributed to the revival of interest in these long-neglected works and are essential reading for anyone interested in Handel or the development of the opera as an art form.
Reviews
From reviews of Volume One:One of the great monuments of musical scholarship of our day - a mine of information lucidly delved, sharply stimulating...a pleasure to read for its crisply expressed, infinitely discerning and above all loving responses to the works themselves. FINANCIAL TIMES
From reviews of Volume Two:
No one writes better on Handel. No one has so sure a hotline to the whole range of his characters, in their strengths and weaknesses (and for Dean, the heart of the operas is character)...We are fortunate to have Dean's erudite and enthusiastic advocacy of these splendid works. Handel's Operas provides essential reading for scholars, a warning for directors, information for opera-goers...and a source of great pleasure for anyone interested in 18th century culture. A delight. MUSICAL TIMES