Weldon: The Judgment of Paris

The Academy of Ancient Music (AAM) and the Cambridge Handel Opera Company (CHOC) follow their Gramophone Award-nominated recording of Eccles' "Semele" with a world premiere recording of John Weldon's masque "The Judgment of Paris". In 1700, the Earl of Halifax decided that England needed a fully sung opera. He offered a music prize of £210 for the best setting of William Congreve's libretto "The Judgement of Paris", in which composers such as John Eccles and Daniel Purcell participated. Weldon's setting, which won the competition but was never published, has been recorded here for the first time. The CD is released as a hardcover mediabook and is accompanied by a series of fascinating essays written specifically by historians, musicologists, and other experts – finally giving this award-winning masque the attention it deserves. Outstanding singers bring the characters to life, including Gramophone Award winner Helen Charlston and Thomas Walker, whose impressive repertoire ranges from J. S., J. C., and C. P. E. Bach to George Frideric Handel, Leoš Janáček, and Benjamin Britten, as well as Jonathan Brown, Kitty Whately, Anna Dennis, Anna Cavaliero, and Aksel Rykkvin.