Händel: Esther - Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra

Ton Koopman, the founder of the legendary Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra, is celebrating his 80^th birthday with one of his favourite pieces: Esther. This rarely performed oratorio, after a theatre play by Jean Racine, tells the story of Esther, Queen of Persia, who saved her people from a brutal genocide. With its colourful orchestration, virtuoso arias and an overwhelming final choir, Handel gives of his very best in the first English oratorio in music history. The acclaimed Russian soprano Julia Lezhneva, who has enchanted the world with her interpretations of Handel, has the opportunity to reveal the full extent of her talent in the rich music of the title role.