Dunedin Consort: Handel's Leading Ladies

Dunedin Consort bring Handel's Leading Ladies to St John's Kirk on Wednesday 25 November, with soprano Nardus Williams taking the lead. The whole thing is directed by John Butt, and it's part of the ensemble's Deaf Season, so the performance is BSL interpreted by Paul Whittaker.

The evening centres on a bit of 18th-century London gossip: the rivalry between two Italian sopranos, Francesca Cuzzoni and Faustina Bordoni. They were the biggest stars of the operatic stage back then, and their feud became a proper part of the city's cultural conversation. Handel wrote with their very different voices and personalities in mind, and Nardus Williams takes on the challenge of embodying both of them against the backdrop of that buzzing scene.

The programme opens with Handel's Concerto Grosso Op.6 No.6, followed by two of his arias: 'Torni omai la pace' from Tolomeo and 'No, più soffrir non voglio' from Alessandro. The second half shifts to Giovanni Bononcini, with the Prelude from Il Lamento d'Olimpia, 'False Imagine' from Ottone, and 'Difese mi giurasti' from *Astianatte'.

It starts at 19:00 at St John's Kirk on St John's Place. Tickets are £6 to £27.50, which includes a £2.50 booking fee per ticket. Disabled, students, Young Scot, and under-26s pay £6, and under-18s go free, with under-16s needing to be accompanied by an adult.