Following in the footsteps of Cecilia Bartoli, Philippe Jaroussky and Andreas Scholl, one of the leading tenors of our time now comes to Budapest. Finally a tenor who can sing 18th century music! – we might exclaim because the art of the tenor only really developed with the bel canto style in the early 19th century after castrati went out of fashion and favour. Until then, it was almost an “underground” genre, and might have remained so were it not for Francesco Borosini, Annibale Pio Fabri and the Englishman John Beard. These 18th century “three tenors” were so popular that they broke the monopoly of the castrati. British tenor Ian Bostridge has a remarkable repertoire in both style and genre, and he dedicates this concert to their memory. From the arias he will sing, we obtain a glimpse into the breathtaking capabilities these three artists must have possessed. The star opera composer of the period, Georg Friedrich Handel composed important and weighty roles for tenors. The popularity of the three tenors knew no bounds: German-Roman Emperor Charles VI became the godfather to one of Fabri’s sons and Beard married the daughter of the proprietor of Covent Garden. Ian Bostridge is a superb musician and scholar, and he will evoke their spirit in the Béla Bartók National Concert Hall. Nominated for two Grammy awards, Europa Galante was founded in 1990 and is also one of the finest early music ensembles. Their breathtakingly unified playing and virtuosity is primarily put to the service of the early 18th century opera literature, an area in which they are among the most respected exponents.

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