An interview with Bridget Cunningham

What was it about the sopranos Cuzzoni and Faustina that so inspired composers?

They were incredibly versatile and rose to the challenge, despite what was going on around them – this huge furore about rivalry, all the names that they were called and the difficult lives they led. They always performed incredibly well and you can see this in the arias, and the way that Handel wrote for them; he gave them different challenges on the way. You can see the developments throughout the operas, which is intriguing.

How did the idea of their rivalry come about?

It was the London press, which was quite a phenomenon. They had already performed together in Italy – it was normal to have two sopranos, a pair of prime donne. But in London the press had set them up before they had even arrived; Cuzzoni arrived first, and then with Faustina arriving they said she would outshine Cuzzoni. The audience loved this and we must remember that this was at a time when society feasted on binary oppositions; they enjoyed it and they would take sides – a bit like a football match today.

You conduct from the harpsichord, don’t you?

Oh yes; it’s certainly more difficult than standing up – which I do for later repertoire – but it’s wonderful to sit there playing and conducting. It feels like the harpsichord is a melting pot and all the sound comes into it and the colour is very vibrant. It’s what Handel did and it’s what was always done everywhere, so I think it’s very important for Baroque music to be done this way, just as Handel did it.