Playing around with baroque music on “Händel Shorts” – mini-album by Dorota Szczepańska, Rafał Tomkiewicz and Alon Sariel
July 7 marks release date of the mini-album “Händel Shorts,” a collaboration of Dorota Szczepańska (soprano), Rafał Tomkiewicz (countertenor) and Alon Sariel (lute and mandolin). The EP makes reference to popular short media formats, such as reels and stories on Facebook, Instagram or YouTube Shorts. The artists deliberately perform only the first parts of baroque arias or duets, accompanied by lute, mandolin and baroque guitar. The EP features songs from Handel’s scores including “Rodelinda”, “Alcina”, “Ariodante”, “Amadigi” and “Julius Caesar in Egypt.”
“Händel Shorts” is a nice side effect of our spontaneous collaboration, something natural if not obvious for us. I got to know Rafał Tomkiewicz better during a concert performance – not only did we get to like each other privately, but we also had the impression that we understood each other musically without words, says Dorota Szczepańska. Different arrangements, playing around with music, rhythm and video clips in a contemporary style come together in a proposal the artists address not only to the enthusiasts of baroque music.