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Sophie Junker Stars in International Handel Festival Göttingen 2026

https://operawire.com/sophie-junker-stars-in-international-handel-festival-gottingen-2026/

(Photo credit: Padraig Grant) The International Handel Festival Göttingen announces its 2026 lineup. Sophie Junker takes on the title role in Händel’s “Deidamia.” The Handel specialist is joined by Nicolò Balducci, Bruno de Sá, Sarah Gilford, Rory Musgrave, and Fenice Petros. The Göttingen University Chamber Choir is led by Antonius Adamske. George Petrou conducts the Göttingen Festival Orchestra. Giorgina Germanou and Ernst {…}

Reviews, Stage Reviews

International Händel Festival Göttingen 2025 Review: Solomon

https://operawire.com/international-handel-festival-gottingen-2025-review-solomon/

(Photo: Alciro Theodoro Da Silva) This year’s International Händel Festival in Göttingen got under way with a splendid concert performance of the composer’s 1748 oratorio “Solomon,” to a libretto based on accounts from the Old Testament Books of Kings, Chronicles and Song of Solomon with additional material from Josephus, although the name of the librettist is unknown. Unlike a number {…}

Reviews, Stage Reviews

International Handel Festival Göttingen 2021 Review: Ariodante

https://operawire.com/international-handel-festival-gottingen-2021-review-ariodante/

(Photo: Theodore da Silva) Just behind Göttingen train station is the Lokhalle, a large industrial building built between 1917 and 1920, which until 1976 was used for repairing locomotives, when it was closed and sold for development. Fortunately, it was not demolished along with the other buildings on the site. Instead, it was converted into an events center which, among {…}

Reviews, Stage Reviews

International Handel Festival Göttingen 2021 Review: Rodelinda

https://operawire.com/international-handel-festival-gottingen-2021-review-rodelinda/

(Photo: Alciro Theodore da Silva) The relationship of art to society is a complex and ever-changing one. At times it is used to support the dominant values of the elite as was the case with the 17th and 18th century baroque, whilst during other periods, it sets itself up in opposition to society, underpinned by varying degrees of revolutionary intent. {…}

Interviews, Stage Spotlight

Q & A: Artistic Director & Conductor George Petrou on This Season’s International Händel Festival in Göttingen

https://operawire.com/q-a-artistic-director-conductor-george-petrou-on-this-seasons-international-handel-festival-in-gottingen/

(Photo: FreddieF) This year’s International Händel Festival in Göttingen kicks off on May 16th and will run until May 25th. The festival will present a range of events dedicated to the composer, including lectures, concerts, recitals, and readings, along with the eighth edition of its Händel competition. The centerpiece of the festival will be five staged performances of the composer’s {…}

Reviews, Stage Reviews

Göttingen International Händel Festival 2024 Review: Il Trionfo del Tempo e del Disinganno

https://operawire.com/gottingen-international-handel-festival-2024-review-il-trionfo-del-tempo-e-del-disinganno/

(Photo: Alciro Theodoro Da Silva) Productions of Handel’s 1707 oratorio “Il Trionfo del Tempo e del Disinganno” in its first version (HWV 46a) are by no means rare. A conversational piece with plenty of contrasting moods and emotional tension but little in the way of physical action, it is often presented as a concert performance, although successful staged productions are {…}

Reviews, Stage Reviews

Göttingen International Händel Festival 2024 Review: Sarrasine

https://operawire.com/gottingen-international-handel-festival-2024-review-sarrasine/

(Photo: Alciro Theodoro Da Silva) The headline event at this year’s Göttingen Händel Festival was the world premiere of “Sarrasine,” a recently constructed opera by the librettist Laurence Dale and the conductor George Petrou, based on the novella of the same name by H. Balzac using music composed by Händel. A New Pasticcio Using Händel’s Rejected Music The project originated {…}

Reviews, Stage Reviews

International Händel Festival, Göttingen 2023 Review: Semele

https://operawire.com/international-handel-festival-gottingen-2023-review-semele/

(Photo: Alciro Theodoro da Silva) The centerpiece of this year’s International Handel Festival in Göttingen was five performances of the composer’s 1644 music drama “Semele,” in a new production conducted and directed by the festival’s artistic director George Petrou. At the final curtain, the audience greeted the cast with a thoroughly deserved standing ovation. The bravos rang out around the {…}

Reviews, Stage Reviews

International Handel Festival, Göttingen 2023 Review: Hercules

https://operawire.com/international-handel-festival-gottingen-2023-review-hercules/

(Photo: Alciro Theodoro da Silva) Having survived the Reformation, allied bombing during World War Two and even an arson attack in 2005, Göttingen’s St. Johannis’ Church, which can trace its roots back to at least 1272, stands proudly overlooking the streets of the city’s historical centre. The current church, which dates back to the 14th century, has been added to {…}