This August, Northamptonshire’s Boughton House will be home to a specially curated exhibition exploring seminal moments in the life of composer George Frideric Handel. The exhibition will chart key episodes in Handel’s life, following him from Rome to London’s West End, and Montagu House - the ancestral home of the Duke of Buccleuch, where he was a frequent visitor.
Learn about the advent of Handel’s Italian opera company, under the patronage of the Duke of Montagu (an ancestor of the Duke of Buccleuch), and his celebrated Music for the Royal Fireworks of 1749, commissioned by the Duke. The exhibition will bring together for the first time a collection of artefacts, including a 1720 harpsichord (probably Handel’s own) and celebrated sculptor Louis-Francois Roubiliac’s own first model for Handel’s monument in Westminster Abbey, plus a Chelsea porcelain orchestra and some very rare orchestral instruments from the period. To see further works by renowned sculptor Roubiliac, you can visit the restored Montagu monuments at nearby St Edmund’s Church, Warkton.
Handel at Boughton will be launched with a special event on Sunday 17th July, hosted by the Duke of Buccleuch. Commencing with a tour of the recently restored gardens and landscape, the day will include a buffet brunch, House tour, exhibition entry and performance from countertenor James Laing and Parisian dance company Les Corps Eloquents – where scenes from some Handel’s most spectacular operas will be recreated. The day will culminate in the world premiere dance performance of Luke Styles’ “Passacaille”, a 21st century re-imagining of Handel by one of today’s most celebrated young composers. The event starts at 11am and ends at 5pm. Tickets are £65. For tickets visit www.boughtonhouse.co.uk/events/handelboughton or call 01832 274734.
Boughton House and Gardens will open throughout August. Guided House tours will begin at 1pm, with the last tour at 3.30pm daily. The Great Hall Tour, plus entry to the Gardens, Armoury and special Handel at Boughton exhibition costs £10 for adults, £8 for children and £30 for families (2+2), under five’s go free. The State Rooms tour is available for an extra £2 per person, while the Bed Books and Beyond Tour costs an additional £12.50 per person.
The Gardens will open between 12pm- 5pm, with last entry at 4pm. Tickets cost £6 for adults, £3 for children and £14 for families (2+2). As an added bonus, Gardens tickets holders will also gain access to the Armoury and special Handel exhibition.
Tickets for the summer openings can be booked in advance by calling 01536 515731 or purchased on a first come, first served basis at the gift shop on the day.
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