Paradise Toss’d: Queen of Heaven, Queens in Hell

Paradise Toss'd: Queen of Heaven, Queens in Hell

Jessica Gould, soprano

Gonzalo Ruiz, oboe & baroque guitar

Members of the Camerata Grimani

Heaven and Earth go back-to-back as two Marian Anthems frame a trio of tortured queens. Arias of Stradella’s conflicted Ester, Monteverdi’s dejected Ottavia, and Handel’s scheming Agrippina trace an arc from doubt to misery to bloodthirsty ambition, as two prayers to the Queen of Heaven flip from calm to turbulence on either side.Opening with a courtly homage and concluding with an impassioned plea, the throne is more prison than prize in this concert devoted to monarchs on the verge.

Please join us for this original program at historic St. Mark's Church in-the-Bowery