Twenty Minutes - Proms Plus: Belshazzar

Handel composed Belshazzar during a period when he was focusing on putting on English oratorios in London theatres. Catherine Bott presents a discussion with critic, writer and broadcaster Roderick Swanston and theatre historian Sarah Lenton exploring why Handel had turned away from Italian opera at this time, examining the circumstances of the creation of Belshazzar and its dramatic content.