Catalina Bertucci, Emanuela Galli, Andreas Scholl Star in Potsdam Sanssouci Music Festival 2026

The lineup for the 2026 Potsdam Sanssouci Music Festival is announced. This article only features vocal concerts. Ensemble Correspondances presents “Apollo, God of Light” with direction from Sébastien Daucé. The concert features opera scenes from Cavallis’ “Ercole amante,” Campras’ “L’Europe galante,” and Rameaus’ “Anacréon” Performance Date: June 6, 2026 The documentary on the Baroque opera production “Pastorelle en musique” from {…}

Jun 13, 2025

International Händel Festival Göttingen 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 {…}

Apr 2, 2025

Teatro La Fenice 2024-25 Review: Il trionfo dell’onore

(Photo: Michele Crosera) Although the Sicilian composer Alessandro Scarlatti (1660–1725) is famed for his prolific output of operas–he claimed to have written well over 100–which were significant in laying the foundations for the development of 18th century opera seria, he rarely strayed into the field of comic opera. The single major exception was his 1718 work, “Il trionfo dell’onore,” written {…}

Aug 10, 2024

Festival Valle d’Itria Festival 2024 Review: Ariodante

(Photo: Clarissa Lapolla) As the last notes of Ariodante’s aria “Dopo notte atra e funestra” died away, the audience sounded its approval with enthusiastic applause and loud cheering; some people were even on their feet. They were joined by the orchestra and its conductor, Federico Maria Sardelli, who was also applauding. And it showed no signs of abating, at least {…}

Jul 19, 2024

Cecilia Molinari to Headline Festival della Valle d’Itria’s ‘Ariodante’

The Festival della Valle d’Itria is set to present Händel’s “Ariodante.” The opera will be performed in a new edition by Bernardo Ticci with the ensemble Modo Antiquo conducted by Federico Maria Sardelli. Torsten Fischer will direct the new production which he describes as a modern reading. In a statement, Torsten added, “The fickleness of love, lust for power, diabolical {…}

Jul 18, 2022

Maggio Musicale Fiorentino 2021-22 Review: Acis et Galatée

Photo: Michele Monasta Born in Florence in 1632, Gianbattista Lulli left his native city at the age of 14 in the service of Roger de Lorraine for a life in France. He went on to become a master composer of French baroque music, and along with his librettist Philippe Quinault went on to establish a distinctly French form of opera, {…}

Jan 10, 2022

Teatro Comunale di Ferrara 2021-22 Review: Farnace

(Photo: Marco Caselli) In 1739 Vivaldi complained in a letter to his patron Marquis Guido Bentivoglio about the treatment he had suffered from the directors of Ferrara’s Teatro Bonacossi: “My reputation has been scourged…to the extent they are refusing as a second opera ‘Farnace,’ which I have prepared afresh especially for the company according to written agreements… I will not {…}

Oct 8, 2021

Paola Gardina, Francesco Demuro & Martina Belli Lead Teatro Comunale di Ferrara’s Fall 2021-22 Season

The Teatro Comunale di Ferrara, in Italy, has announced its fall 2021-22 season featuring four productions. The season opens with Puccini’s “Madama Butterfly” starring Silvia Pantani in the title role, Francesco Fortes as F. Pinkerton, Ilaria Ribezzi as Suzuki, and Italo Proferisce as Sharpless. Matteo Mazzoni directs the production with David Crescenzi conducting. Performance Dates: Oct. 29 & 31, 2021 Francesco Demuro {…}

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