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?Each new Handel release by The English Concert and Harry Bicket is a milestone in the composer's discography, and the latest, Serse - 'a spectacular treat for Handel lovers' (The Times) - is no different. Created to astonish London audiences in 1728, Handel's romantic and at times comic opera Serse is a spectacular drama of love, war, power and civil engineering set in ancient Persia, whose opening aria 'Ombra mai fu' remains an enduring favourite. Serse rules a vast empire, but the human heart is more difficult to command, and sometimes the beauty of a plane tree is the only constant in a dangerous world. The work is complemented by a world-class cast including the 'barnstorming' (The Daily Telegraph) Emily D'Angelo as the lovestruck king and Lucy Crowe as Romilda.