(Photo: Daniel Dittus) Composed at the height of Christoph Willibald Gluck’s operatic reform, “Iphigénie en Tauride” distills classical tragedy into a work of striking emotional clarity and structural restraint. Without the conventional Da Capo arias and secco recitatives, Gluck integrates voice and orchestra to convey psychological depth and moral conflict. The opera’s tension between barbarism and humanity is rendered through {…}
(Photo Credit: Claudia Hoehne) René Jacobs’ concert performance of Mozart’s “Idomeneo” at the Elbphilharmonie provided a resplendent conclusion to Hamburg’s Amadeus Festival, bringing the celebration of Mozart’s genius to a fittingly grand finale. This semi-staged version was a testament to how a concert performance can achieve full theatricality. Compared to his 2009 recording, Jacobs presented a fresh and immediate interpretation, {…}
(Photo: Daniel Dittus) “Jephtha” at the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg was nothing short of a revelatory experience, thanks to the exceptional artistry of Concerto Köln and the Monteverdi Choir Hamburg. Under the direction of Antonius Adamske, the orchestra breathed new life into Handel’s late masterpiece. The choir, equally impressive, delivered each passage with precision and emotional depth. While the soloists showed skill {…}