Sophie Rennert, Anna Bonitatibus, Salvador Simão, Jonathan Eyers Lead Innsbruck Festival of Early Music’s 2026 Season

Innsbruck Festival of Early Music announces its 50th season. This article only features vocal events. Ottavio Dantone leads the Accademia Bizantina Ensemble in a workshop concert. Performance Date: July 25, 2026 Lauren Lodge-Campbell, Nicolò Balducci, and Jonathan Eyers perform alongside Il Gusto Barocco Ensemble under the direction of Jörg Halubek. Performance Date: August 1, 2026 Anna Bonitatibus gives a masterclass. {…}

Nov 27, 2025

Ravenna Festival 2025 Review: Orlando

(Photo: Zani-Casadi) For the November installment of the Ravenna Festival, it was decided to present a Händel trilogy, comprising two fully staged operas, “Orlando” and “Alcina,” and a concert performance of his oratorio “The Messiah.” First up was the composer’s 1733 composition, “Orlando,” written to a libretto by Carlo Sigismondo Capece, which premiered at London’s King’s Theatre and ran for {…}

Aug 27, 2025

Innsbruck Early Music Festival 2025 Review: Ifigenia in Aulide

(Photo:Birgit Gufler) In 1718, the Venetian composer Antonio Caldara and the librettist Apostolo Zeno premiered their opera “Ifigenia in Aulide” for the imperial court in Vienna to celebrate Emperor Karl VI of Austria’s name day. This summer, over three hundred years since its last staging, the Innsbruck Early Music Festival brought together a stellar cast under the musical direction of {…}

Jul 8, 2025

Musikfestspiele Potsdam Sanssouci 2025 Review: Didone abbandonata

(Photo: Noah Shaye) On June 28, 2025, Musikfestspiele Potsdam Sanssouci presented a rare revival of Baldassare Galuppi’s opera “Didone abbandonata” — the 1752 Madrid version. Commissioned by the legendary castrato Farinelli to honor King Ferdinand VI of Spain, this adaptation brought together three giants of the 18th century opera: Farinelli himself, librettist Pietro Metastasio, and composer Galuppi. More concise and {…}

Jun 15, 2025

Marie Lys, Francesca Aspromonte, Key’mon Murrah, & Jeremy Ovenden Star in Les Talens Lyriques’ 2025-26 Season

Les Talens Lyriques releases its 2025-26 season. Lully’s “Proserpine” opens the 2025 season. Marie Lys, Véronique Gens, Olivier Gourdy, Jean-Sébastien Bou, Ambroisine Bré, Laurent Kilsby, Apolline Raï-Westphal, Nick Pritchard, Olivier Cesarini, and David Witczak make up the cast. They are joined by Chœur de Chambre de Namur led by Thibaut Lenaerts, and Les Talens Lyriques under the direction of Christophe {…}

Apr 23, 2025

Teatro alla Scala 2024-25 Review: L’opera seria

(Photo credit: Brescia and Amisano) “I should reproach myself even more if I were to allow myself to be credited with the initiative for the new genre of Italian opera … it is to my librettist Calzabigi that the main credit goes …” Gluck, letter of 1775 Let us speak directly of the opera at hand, recently brought to the {…}

Apr 16, 2025

Teatro alla Scala 2024-25 Review: L’opera seria

(Photo credit: Brescia and Amisano) One of the most common phenomena of the 18th century was the pilgrimage of European composers to Italy, seeking to immerse themselves in the “alla italiana” compositional technique and then return to their homelands to apply this revolutionary formula. Such was the case of Florian Leopold Gassmann (1729–1774), who left his native Bohemia to settle {…}

Mar 20, 2025

International Händel Festspiele, Karlsruhe 2025 Review: Siroe, re di Persia

(Photo: Felix Grünscloß) Although “Siroe, re di Persia” managed a good run of 17 performances, following its premiere at the King’s Theatre, London in 1728, Händel never revived the work. Apart from a couple of productions in Brunswick in 1730 and 1735, it lay dormant until the 20th century, has never managed to establish itself in the repertoire, and remains {…}

Feb 8, 2025

Teatro Municipale di Piacenza 2025 Review: Giulio Cesare in Egitto

(Photo: ©Zani-Casadio) In the autumn of 1709, as he was preparing to conclude his journey through Italy, George Frideric Handel triumphantly arrived in Venice to present his second Italian opera, “Agrippina.” The work was enthusiastically received by the audience, who acclaimed the composer with shouts of “Viva il Sassone!” (Long live the Saxon!) and with 27 performances that sealed its {…}

Jan 31, 2025

Teatro Alighieri, Ravenna 2025 Review: Giulio Cesare

(Photo: Zani-Casdio) It was well after midnight when the final curtain fell on Teatro Alighieri’s production of Händel’s “Giulio Cesare.” It was a long evening, although, such was the quality of the presentation, there would have been few complaints even if it had continued for another hour or more. It was one of those performances in which the singing, the {…}

Dec 10, 2024

Innsbruck Festival of Early Music Announces 2025 Lineup

Details of the 2025 Innsbruck Festival of Early Music have been made public. For the purposes of this article only vocal performances are featured. Concerts First Prize winner of the 2020 Cesti International Singing Competition Margherita Maria Sala performs works by Galuppi, Marcello, Vivaldi, Ristori, and Handel. Sala is accompanied by the Ensemble Locatelli led by Thomas Chigioni. Performance Date: {…}

Filippo Mineccia

Sophie Rennert, Anna Bonitatibus, Salvador Simão, Jonathan Eyers Lead Innsbruck Festival of Early Music’s 2026 Season

Ravenna Festival 2025 Review: Orlando

Innsbruck Early Music Festival 2025 Review: Ifigenia in Aulide

Musikfestspiele Potsdam Sanssouci 2025 Review: Didone abbandonata

Marie Lys, Francesca Aspromonte, Key’mon Murrah, & Jeremy Ovenden Star in Les Talens Lyriques’ 2025-26 Season

Teatro alla Scala 2024-25 Review: L’opera seria

Teatro alla Scala 2024-25 Review: L’opera seria

International Händel Festspiele, Karlsruhe 2025 Review: Siroe, re di Persia

Teatro Municipale di Piacenza 2025 Review: Giulio Cesare in Egitto

Teatro Alighieri, Ravenna 2025 Review: Giulio Cesare

Innsbruck Festival of Early Music Announces 2025 Lineup