Midtown Music presents Opera Essentia: Excerpts of "From Hell to Antigone"

• Jeffrey Mandelbaum, countertenor (Admeto)
• Nicole Besa, soprano (Antigona)
• Kristin Renee Young, soprano (Alceste)
• Francis Liu, violin
• Serafim Smigelskiy, cello
• Rebecca Pechefsky, harpsichord

Excerpts of "From Hell to Antigone," Opera Essentia's new 70-minute distillation of Handel's Admeto, from 1727. This steamy love triangle saga unfolds in bittersweet beauty, one ravishing aria after another. Betrayal, longing, jealousy, and bewilderment just scratch the surface. A curse reversed, a rejection amended, but then she's back from the dead... how can a heart survive it all??

About Opera Essentia

Opera Essentia's mission is to curate Handel's neglected stage works into an accessible form and present them for free in neighborhood communities for all to enjoy. Distilled into One Act, and performed outdoors by a diverse company of world-class musicians, Handel's highly expressive writing for the human voice perfectly conveys character and emotion. Employing visceral gut-string instruments, we weave arias into an intimate sound chronicle which all can enjoy.

About Midtown Concerts

https://www.gemsny.org/midtown-concerts

About Gotham Early Music Scene (GEMS)

https://gemsny.org/

About Jeffrey Mandelbaum, countertenor (Admeto)

http://www.jeffreymandelbaum.com/

About Nicole Besa, soprano (Antigona)

https://nicolediana.wixsite.com/2018a

About Kristin Renee Young, soprano (Alceste)

http://www.kristinreneeyoung.com/

About Francis Liu, violin

https://www.francismliu.com/

About Serafim Smigelskiy, cello

https://www.serafim-smigelskiy.com/

About Rebecca Pechefsky, harpsichord

https://www.rpechefsky.com/