The celebrated Baroque composer George Frideric Handel (1685-1759) set new standards in compositional technique and performance practice. And that is precisely what music producer Danya Segal continues with her production “Handel and the Underworld.” Analogous to the works of Handel, the prizewinning ensemble Musica Alta Ripa spirits its audience musically into the underworld with arias from “Alcina” and “Acis and Galatea.” And through their fascinating installations, the well-known light artists Yvonne and Klaus Goulbier enhance the mystical mood for all the senses. Although great musical events in Handel’s day were mostly limited to courtly and ecclesiastical circles, the virtuoso himself was open to experimental performance venues and outdoor concerts. For example, he had the “Water Music” performed for King George I by musicians on barges on the Thames. The maestro’s works have inspired music producer Danya Segal to a novel performance practice: accompanied by the gorgeous arias sung by the exceptional, world-renowned soprano Jörg Waschinksi, the audience descends into a modern version of the Underworld (underground garage or subterranean mine), where it experiences the splendor and poetry of Handel’s “Water Music” far from the familiar shore. “Light, spatial architecture, audience and music combined create a sensual orchestra,” raves Segal. “Handel’s Underworld becomes an active experience.”

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