Handel Opera Transports You To Georgian Britain — londonist.com

Rhian Lois’ Atalanta loves Andrew Watts’ Arsamenes, but his heart is reserved for Romilda © Mike Hoban Ever wanted to be an 18th century aristocrat, taking a stroll in the pleasure gardens, marvelling at the latest discovery to reach Britain from another continent, or whiling away an afternoon at the opera knowing you don’t have to get up for work the next day? If so, a trip to the London Coliseum could come closer to fulfilling that dream than anything else. The opera in question is Handel’s Xerxes of 1738, and Nicholas Hytner’s 1985 production helped to revive interest in the composer’s dramatic works, and started the process whereby English National Opera earned its reputation as the ‘House of Handel’.

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