大象传媒

Harpsichordist and broadcaster Mahan Esfahani confesses he doesn鈥檛 care for, or even respect, the music of Handel. A composer whose music brings joy to so many, whose music oils the wheels of hundreds of choral societies and makes the careers of greater singers and conductors. Who in their right mind would have a problem with him?

You鈥檒l be pleased to hear that Mahan is seeking professional help, from a musician who will try to show him the path to enlightenment. This week, his guest is singer Dame Sarah Connolly, a leading global exponent of Handel鈥檚 music on stage; she鈥檚 also been there at the battlefront making a case for his music and re-inventing a composer whose operatic work only recently came back to the mainstream.

Together they chew through the issues of Handel鈥檚 need to always be liked and to be popular, sometimes at the expense of being good; why his music is so repetitive; why he steals melodies from other composers and Mahan鈥檚 biggest bugbear, the bloated national quality of his music.

Produced by Rebecca Gaskell
A Reduced Listening Production for 大象传媒 Radio 3