Ciel e terra armi di sdegno (Handel) John Mark Ainsley

Ciel e terra armi di sdegno from Tamerlano, HWV 18 (1724) George Frideric Handel (1685-1759) John Mark Ainsley in the role of Bajazet Il Pomo d'Oro with Riccardo Minasi, conductor The arrival of Italian star tenor Francesco Borosini (c. 1695 – after 1747) in London caused Handel to radically re-write the role of Bajazet in the opera Tamerlano. 18th century operatic convention did not allow a tenor to play heroic roles, which were typically given to castrati, but Handel did the next best thing by vastly expanding the role of Bajazet.