CHOC/AAM – The Judgment of Paris

‘O ravishing delight! What mortal can support the sight?’ Three goddesses descend from Olympus to earth for a beauty contest with an astonishing difference. They bring with them promises of power, of glory and of love: it’s for the mortal Paris to decide between them, in a judgment that will have consequences on a cosmic scale.

With a libretto by the wittiest of Restoration playwrights, and music by one of the brightest (but least known) stars of the English baroque, Congreve and Weldon’s The Judgment of Paris is a forgotten landmark of English opera: playful, sensuous and irresistibly tuneful. Now, Cambridge Handel Opera Company, Academy of Ancient Music and a top-flight cast come together to give only the second professional performance since 1702. Buried treasure, brought sparklingly to life.