(Photo Credit: Philippe Matsas) The presentation of the 2026 Handel Prize to René Jacobs was a profound validation of historical inquiry made flesh, rendered all the more poignant by the maestro’s heartening return to health. Celebrated for his intellectual rigor and uncanny dramatic instinct, Jacobs marked the ceremony with a concert program that epitomized his lifelong artistic vision and relentless {…}

(Photo: © Barbara Anmüller) The curatorial blueprint for “Bajazet: Der gebrochene Held” was exceptionally well-considered, seamlessly weaving the shared Bajazet/Tamerlano themes of Händel, Gasparini, and Vivaldi into the overarching narrative of the 2026 Halle Handel Festival. Under Michael Schneider, La Stagione Frankfurt joined forces with tenor Samuel Boden and soprano Kateryna Kasper. However, as the live performance unfolded, the evening {…}

(Credit: © Silvia Frigato) Just two violins, a cello, a chitarrone, and a harpsichord alongside a single soprano, nestled within the elegant architecture of the Franckesche Stiftungen, actively transported the audience back to the highly refined, intellectual settings of early 18th-century Roman salons. This beautifully crafted program by Concerto Italiano under Rinaldo Alessandrini mapped the rich cultural patronage of Cardinal {…}