Opera Viva

This recording presents a selection of arias and instrumental pieces taken from Handel's operas, from the early Agrippina (1709) to the late Imeneo (1740), including also an example from the mythological oratorio Hercules (1745). L'Apotheose: From the classrooms of a conservatory to winning a dozen of high profile international prizes and becoming artists in residence of the biggest classical music institution in Spain. That is the unique story of L'Apotheose. The Spanish baroque ensemble has become the newest reference in historicist interpretation in the European music scene. L'Apotheose proudly counts with honours that includes the First Prize, EUBO Development Trust prize and the Friends of York Early Music Festival Prize at the 2019 York Early Music International Young Artists Competition (United Kingdom), Second Prize at the prestigious Internationaal Van Wassenaer Competition 2018 within the Oude Muziek festival in Utrecht (Netherlands), First Prize at the Gottingen Handel Competition 2017 (Germany), and the Second Prize at the Concours International de Musique Ancienne de Val de Loire 2017 (France) chaired by William Christie.Lucia Caihuela, mezzosopranoBorn in Madrid, Lucia grew up surrounded by music, singing at home with her mother and grandmother, covering everything from The Sound of Music and El Barberillo de Lavapies to the Beatles and West Side Story. At 19, she decided to pursue a career in singing, completing her first degree at the Arturo Soria Conservatory in Madrid. She then moved to the Netherlands, where she graduated cum laude in historical singing from the Conservatorium van Amsterdam under the guidance of Xenia Meijer. Lucia frequently collaborates with ensembles such as The Netherlands Bach Society, Collegium 1704, L'Apotheose, Al Ayre Espanol, El Afecto Ilustrado, and La Guirlande, among others.