Ton Koopman
Ton Koopman will conduct the modern premiere of a previously unknown cantata by George Frideric Handel for soprano and instrumental ensemble on April 9 in Amsterdam.
The cantata has come to light in the private collection of the eminent Dutch harpsichordist, conductor and collector Ton Koopman. Identified by the American musicologist John H. Roberts of the University of California, Berkeley, it is an earlier but very different version of the cantata “Tu fedel? tu costante?”, HWV 171. Only the first aria is substantially the same, while the three remaining arias are entirely new. HWV 171a, as the cantata will be known, also differs from the later version in calling for an oboe in addition to two violins and basso continuo.
Ton Koopman will produce a CD with this rediscovered work. An edition by John Roberts will appear in the Hallische Händel-Ausgabe.
