About CHOG
History
The Cambridge Handel Opera Group was founded in 1985, the tercentenary of the composer's birth, with the intention of presenting fully-staged productions of Handel's operas in English, and performed in a style that respects the composer's intentions and expectations. These productions take place every two years in the West Road Concert Hall in Cambridge. We attract large and appreciative audiences both from the local region and from further afield: from all parts of the UK and even from abroad. So far we have presented eleven operas (some in their original form for the first time since the eighteenth century): Rodelinda (1985), Flavio (1987), Floridante (1989), Amadigi (1991), Berenice (1993), Partenope (1995), Alcina (1997), Admeto (1999), Orlando (2001), Serse (2003), and Tamerlano (2005). Our production in 2007 will be Imeneo.
Priorities and aims
One of our priorities is to make Handel's operas accessible to our audiences. For this reason we use English translations prepared specifically for our productions. By hearing the operas sung in English, our audiences are able not only to follow the intricacies of the plot more easily, but also to enjoy the richness and subtlety of Handel's musical settings. The score is newly edited by the Musical Director, working from original source material, including Handel's autograph manuscripts. The productions take into consideration the stylised nature of eighteenth-century performance: the performers are encouraged to act with physical movements and gestures appropriate to the style of the music, thereby creating a sense of unity between Handel's music and the visual presentation. The nature of the set varies according to each opera, but all aspire to the visual beauty and elegance so important in Handel's time.