| Date and venue | Title | Submitted by |
|---|---|---|
| 10-May-2013 Cathedral Museum | Les Bougies Baroques present some 18th-century secrets in Malta | Anthony Hart |
 Picture a warm May evening, walking the narrow, silent, cool streets of the ancient capital of Malta, then sitting amongst a magnificent collection of 17th- and 18th-century art with a promise of secrets!
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| 10-May-2013 St John's Smith Square | Lufthansa Festival opens with a ravishing Handel masterpiece | Nahoko Gotoh |
 After Friday’s sublime performance of Handel’s L’Allegro, il Penseroso ed il Moderato at the opening concert of 2013 Lufthansa Festival of Baroque Music, I am puzzled why this ravishing masterpiece doesn’t enjoy wider popularity (although it was performed recently at the London Handel Festival). Perhaps it’s because the work doesn’t have a dramatic plot like Saul or Samson or it doesn’t have grand choral numbers like in the Messiah or Israel in Egypt.Read full review... | ||
| 9-May-2013 Severance Hall | Ton Koopman leads Cleveland Orchestra and Chamber Chorus in satisfying evening of Handel | Timothy Robson |
 Dutch keyboardist and conductor Ton Koopman this weekend completed his third and final season as artist-in-residence with The Cleveland Orchestra, leading an all-Handel program that also featured the Cleveland Orchestra Chamber Chorus. It was a musically satisfying program that showed the versatility of both orchestra and chorus.
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| 3-May-2013 Sage: Hall One | Northern Sinfonia: Bradley Creswick's blazing fiddle | Jane Shuttleworth |
 As their contribution to The Sage Gateshead’s weekend-long “Fiddles on Fire” festival, Northern Sinfonia presented a selection of solo violin and string music that artfully blurred the distinctions between musical periods and genres, putting the emphasis firmly on the instrument itself, and on the spirited playing of their leader, Bradley Creswick.
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| 3-May-2013 Kings Place: Hall One | Bach unwrapped through brass: Onyx Brass at Kings Place | Julia Savage |
 I must admit that Bach through Brass, as this concert was entitled, filled me with a certain amount of trepidation. Bach, on instruments for which the music in the programme was not designed, on instruments which were not even around in Bach’s time (at least not in their modern-day form), did not sound immediately appealing; nevertheless, something drew me in, and I was pleasantly surprised.
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| 30-Apr-2013 Leeds Grand Theatre | Opera North's Joshua at Leeds Grand Theatre | Richard Wilcocks |
 In spite of the fact that a Handel oratorio, however renowned, provides limited opportunities for staging, this production of Joshua, directed by Charles Edwards, is a largely successful exercise in the art of the possible. The magnificent Opera North Chorus is able to flaunt itself extensively, a stripped set with backstage views is used to good effect, a terrific orchestra is tightly conducted by Stephen Layton and there are no weak links amongst the soloists.
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| 16-Apr-2013 St George's, Hanover Square | Handel's L'Allegro, il Penseroso ed il Moderato at the London Handel Festival | Emily Owen |
.jpg) The culmination of the London Handel Festival is a much anticipated event, and tonight’s performance of Handel’s radiant composition L’Allegro, il Penseroso ed il Moderato was no exception. With an array of eminent musicians performing to a packed St George’s, Hanover Square, the mood was celebratory and the performance had a glow and energy that suited Handel’s mercurial music.
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| 8-Apr-2013 St Antoine Church | Old music in an old church: The Corelli Consort in Istanbul | Alain Matalon |
 If there’s one glowing aspect missing from the burgeoning classical music scene in Istanbul, it is chamber music. The city has been a host to an increasingly diverse range of musical performances and festivals in the last few years, thanks to rather effective sponsorship arrangements, as well as small organizations, and sometimes even individuals, taking charge in organizing concert series.
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| 4-Apr-2013 Lincoln Center: Metropolitan Opera House | The British in Egypt: McVicar's Giulio Cesare triumphs at the Met | David Allen, unpredictableinevitability.com |
 When David McVicar’s Giulio Cesare opened at Glyndebourne in 2005, international attention was focused on the breakdown of Iraq into a civil war that its American and British occupiers couldn’t control. A production offered by a formidably aristocratic opera house in East Sussex – with its champagne-and-strawberries picnics, enforced black tie, and cows at pasture – could only ever be quaint in its political indictments.Read full review... | ||
| 11-Mar-2013 Royal College of Music: Britten Theatre | London Handel Festival opens with a tongue-in-cheek Imeneo at the RCM | Nahoko Gotoh |
 Imeneo (1740), Handel’s penultimate opera, is atypical on several fronts. It’s relatively short by Handel’s standards (three acts, under two hours of music); the plot is thin, but not as absurd or complicated as those of some of his other operas (there are no disguises, for example); the title role is composed for a bass; and the opera has a chorus which participates in the plot, rather than just singing at the end.Read full review... | ||
| 15-Feb-2013 The Royal Conservatory of Music, TELUS Centre, Koerner Hall | The Royal Conservatory Orchestra goes big with Handel and Mahler in Toronto | Stanley Fefferman |
 It was an evening of go big or go home. Koerner Hall is a world-class “acousticorium”. It has been praised for razor-sharp rendering of the sounds of soloists like guitarist John Williams, divas like Anne Sofie von Otter and Dee Dee Bridgewater, quartets like the Kronos and Takács, chamber orchestras such as the 28 strings of Gergiev’s Stradivarius Ensemble.Read full review... | ||
| 10-Feb-2013 Barbican Centre: Hall | A finely-cast Radamisto from The English Concert | Nahoko Gotoh |
 Handel’s Radamisto has an improbable plot (although average by Baroque opera standards) which can make it difficult to stage. The most recent staging in London was the ENO production in 2010, which had a largely abstract setting.Read full review... | ||
| 8-Feb-2013 Église de Saanen, Saanen | Opera seria brought to life by Zazzo and the Geneva Chamber Orchestra | David Karlin |
 Question: how do you demonstrate to a sceptical audience that baroque opera seria doesn’t have to be boring? To answer this, the organisers of Sommets Musicaux and David Greilsammer, conductor of the Geneva Chamber Orchestra came up with a programme consisting of four Handel arias interspersed with orchestral passages from French baroque opera, these chosen for their variety and dance-based character.
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| 22-Jan-2013 Theater an der Wien | Radamisto at the Theater an der Wien: A bit fishy | Snapdragon |
 When the Theater an der Wien’s in-house magazine featured an article about costumes created by none other than Christian Lacroix for this new production of Radamisto, I was intrigued by the pictures, but also a bit nonplussed by the idea that his gowns had been hand-painted in order to illustrate the different levels of Radamisto’s nightmare.Read full review... | ||
| 17-Jan-2013 St John's Co-Cathedral | Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment pays a tribute to Maltese Baroque music in Valletta | Anthony Hart |
 The main course of the sumptuous feast, under the title of the Valletta International Baroque Festival, arrived on 17 January. The fare was an international favourite with a Maltese surprise.
The concert, the eighth in the series, was given by the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment in the magnificent setting of the ornate St John’s Co-Cathedral.
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| 16-Jan-2013 Ashmolean Museum | Fine cantatas from John Lubbock with the Orchestra of St John's in Oxford | Katy Wright |
 Wednesday night’s concert was the first in the Orchestra of St John’s Proms at the Ashmolean series of the new year. John Lubbock led the orchestra, the OSJ Ashmolean Voices and soloists Johnny Herford and Louise Wayman through lively performances of Handel’s Apollo e Dafne and J.S. Bach’s Liebster Jesu, mein Verlagen. If this concert is anything to go by, 2013 promises to be a fine year for orchestra and singers alike.
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| 12-Jan-2013 Sage: Hall One | Three Baroque tenors and an orcherstra: Ian Bostridge with Northern Sinfonia | Jane Shuttleworth |
 Sometimes, glancing through reviews and recordings of Baroque opera arias, one might be forgiven for wondering whether tenors and basses ever appeared on the 18th-century stage – the genre seems dominated by the exotic lives of the castrati and the incredibly exciting music that was written for them. This evening’s concert by tenor Ian Bostridge and Northern Sinfonia, conducted by Bernard Labadie attempted to redress the balance, and showed that in fact the sopranos, mezzos and countertenors don’t have all the fun.
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| 22-Dec-2012 Colston Hall | A Christmassy oratorio: Handel's Messiah at Colston Hall, Bristol | Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres |
| Many people have triggers to make them feel seasonal, and this evening’s concert was no doubt a source for many audience members. Festive cheer spread around Bristol’s Colston Hall for an evening of joyous music celebrating the Christmas story with Handel’s Messiah. We have to thank librettist Charles Jennens for giving Handel the inspiration to write such powerful and emotive music as this epic piece, written in just 24 days. Christmas in the classical music world would not be complete without the well-known Hallelujah Chorus or “For unto us a child is born”. Read full review... | ||
| 15-Dec-2012 Holy Trinity Cathedral | Festive fare from the Auckland Philharmonia | Simon Holden |
 For this Christmas concert we were transported from the Auckland Philharmonia’s usual venue at the Auckland Town Hall to the Holy Trinity Cathedral in Parnell. It was interesting to compare the sound of the orchestra; the cathedral has a slight echo that seemed to boost the richness of the orchestra’s sound, at times (like at the climax of Bizet’s Farandole) becoming almost shockingly loud. The orchestra treated us to a potpourri of seasonal pieces, most well-known but some unfamiliar.Read full review... | ||
| 13-Dec-2012 Barbican Centre: Hall | Handel's Belshazzar at the Barbican with Les Arts Florissants | Julia Savage |
 Handel’s Belshazzar was the oratorio of choice for renowned music group Les Arts Florissants at the Barbican last week. The group was famously set up in France in 1979 by the American-born William Christie, eventually becoming an international household name for its critically acclaimed performances and recordings of Baroque operas on period instruments. Having previously only heard Les Arts Florissants in recorded form, they had much to live up to for me as a live act.
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| 9-Dec-2012 Birmingham Town Hall | Nicola Benedetti and the European Union Chamber Orchestra sparkle in Birmingham | Katherine Dixson, katherinedixson.co.uk |
 What better antidote to the hustle and bustle of Christmas shopping than a sackful of festive concertos? With Birmingham’s famous German market in full swing right outside the Town Hall, inside was also packed with concertgoers of all ages eager to hear celebrated violinist Nicola Benedetti. Even the choir benches were full, with the back row nestled under splendid Christmas trees that sparkled either side of the organ.
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| 1-Dec-2012 Sage: Hall One | Northern Sinfonia: A Messiah with plenty of passion | Jane Shuttleworth |
-036.jpg) Handel’s Messiah is a challenge to any conductor, particularly in the English-speaking world. It’s probably the best-loved piece in the classical repertoire, guaranteed to bring people out in great crowds. You can’t mess with Messiah, but at the same time, there’s a danger of sinking into tired tradition. The solution Matthew Halls took last night with Northern Sinfonia orchestra and chorus was to focus on details, giving the piece some new sparkle in unexpected places.
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| 22-Nov-2012 Wigmore Hall | Britten Sinfonia and Alice Coote celebrate Britten's birthday in style at Wigmore Hall | Evan Dickerson |
 22 November 2012 would have been Benjamin Britten’s 99th birthday. Wigmore Hall marked the occasion with the first concert in a series of nine events in November and December. However, rather than focusing exclusively on Britten’s music, it built towards the climax that saw Britten’s angst-ridden late masterpiece Phaedra searingly performed.
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| 18-Nov-2012 Auckland Town Hall | A solid Solomon by Viva Voce at Auckland Town Hall | Simon Holden |
 Auckland choir Viva Voce’s final offering for the year was a semi-staged performance of Handel’s late oratorio Solomon. An attempt to stage Solomon must deal with two important issues: firstly, not a lot dramatic happens to actually stage, and secondly, the three acts bear little dramatic relation to each other. Viva Voce’s semi-staging is probably as far as it could feasibly be staged, basically resembling a concert performance with a few stage props. These consisted of a throne for Solomon, a divan for his queen and a prop baby for the harlots to fight over.Read full review... | ||
| 18-Nov-2012 Carnegie Hall: Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage | Joyce DiDonato's Drama Queens at Carnegie Hall: The joy of being a human | Raisa Massuda, mandolinvision.blogspot.com |
 When on Sunday afternoon Joyce DiDonato came onstage at Carnegie Hall, the savvy New York audience gave her a truly royal reception by welcoming her with a long ovation. Such a reaction from the audience was hardly surprising. Hailed as “The Queen of Opera”, today’s most renowned mezzo-soprano and recipient of every musical award available to a vocalist, DiDonato represents everything that modern audiences expect to see in an opera singer: superb vocalism, appealing looks, impeccable taste, and above all, a genuine personality.
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| 11-Nov-2012 Theater an der Wien | Joyce DiDonato's Drama Queens a hit at the Theater an der Wien | Snapdragon |
 It was a touching moment when an overwhelmed Joyce DiDonato re-entered the stage after her fourth encore and covered her face with her hands for a few moments, not sure what to do in response to the unceasing applause. Being a jovial self-styled “Yankee Diva”, she soon found the right line to end a memorable evening with style, “let’s all go to sleep with crying and dying once more” – which meant that “Lasciami piangere” from Reinhard Keiser’s Fredegunda was going be the fifth and very last encore and a welcome repetition of her first.
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| 9-Nov-2012 St George's Bristol | Handeling uncool: La Nuova Musica's Acis and Galatea at St George's Bristol | David Fay |
 Classical music is not cool. Most people who’ve come through secondary school with a love for it are well aware of that, having been frequently reminded of it by their peers. As a result of this, most of us probably couldn’t care less, though I’m sure we all question, when beholding some particularly awesome musical event, the premises on which this schoolyard assumption is based.Read full review... | ||
| 23-Oct-2012 New Theatre | Welsh National Opera at the New Theatre, Oxford: Handel's Jephtha | Julia Savage |
 and WNO Chorus - Credit Bill Cooper_9.jpg) Handel’s Jephtha is an oratorio, rather than an opera. However, the story is one of high drama and emotion, and thus the work lends itself easily to operatic adaptation. The oratorio relates the story of Jephtha from the Book of Judges, in which the exiled illegitimate son of Gilead, leader of the Israelites, vows to God that if he should be victorious in battle against the Ammonites, he will sacrifice as a burnt-offering the first person to greet him upon his return. He is indeed victorious, and his daughter Iphis runs out to welcome him.
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| 1-Oct-2012 The London Coliseum | ENO's Julius Caesar in Egypt | David Karlin |
 The full name of Handel's opera is Giulio Cesare in Egitto: it depicts a historically loose version of Caesar's sojourn in Alexandria, during which Pompey is murdered, Ptolemy is killed in battle and Cleopatra is installed as Queen. In Michael Keegan-Dolan's new production for ENO, we know we're in Egypt straight away because when we enter the auditorium, we see a giant crocodile in the middle of an otherwise plain stage (apart from the dead giraffe in the corner, of which more later).Read full review... | ||
| 30-Sep-2012 Concertgebouw: Recital Hall | Combattimento Consort Amsterdam performs Handel | Kristen Huebner |
| The Combattimento Consort Amsterdam gave a robust concert of Baroque repertoire last weekend in the Amsterdam Concertgebouw. Presenting an ambitious program of concerti grossi by George Frideric Handel and one particularly humorous organ concerto by the little-known English composer John Stanley, this fine ensemble drew a stark contrast to what we usually expect in the Baroque field today.
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| 25-Aug-2012 Haus für Mozart | Giulio Cesare in Salzburg | Zwölftöner |
 Giulio Cesare, an opera populated with manipulative characters that only interact with each other when shared interests are at stake, is a receptive vessel for a scornful indictment of imperialism and the dubious alliances it forges. With recourse to the obvious present-day target it is perhaps also a concept already fully mined by Peter Sellars, who in the late 1980s presented Caesar as a high-handed U.S. president out to further American interests in the Middle East, and revisited themes of Western moral hypocrisy in his 1996 Glyndebourne staging of Theodora.Read full review... | ||
| 8-Aug-2012 Canongate Kirk | Edinburgh Fringe: Ludus Baroque's rare Handel triumphs at Canongate Kirk | David Smythe |
 As dappled evening sunshine filled the historic Canongate Kirk, near the foot of the Royal Mile, a large audience filled the powder blue-coloured pews under the Colours of the King’s Own Scottish Borderers and the Royal Scots for an evening of music by Handel.
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| 19-Jul-2012 Royal Albert Hall | Prom 8: OAE forces thrill in Handel's Judas Maccabaeus | James Potter |
 Written in the late 1740s, Judas Maccabaeus was a clever attempt by the ever-wily Handel to capitalize on recent successes, both his own – in the form of the now-established oratorio concert – and that of the nation, in the wake of the recent victories over Bonnie Prince Charlie’s Scottish rebels. Until this evening, only excerpts of the work had been heard at the Proms, and so tonight was an opportunity for the Orchestra of the Age of the Enlightenment and their director, Laurence Cummings, to make their case for a work much less popular now than it was in Handel’s own day.
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| 18-Jul-2012 Royal Albert Hall | Prom 7: A late-night Handel extravaganza with Le Concert Spirituel | Nahoko Gotoh |
 The first-ever free Late-Night Prom on Wednesday was a Handel extravaganza for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee year. Flamboyant French conductor Hervé Niquet and his group Le Concert Spirituel have made a speciality of performing Handel’s Water Music and Music for the Royal Fireworks with the huge outdoor forces that would have been employed at the royal occasions.Read full review... | ||
| 3-Jul-2012 Concertgebouw: Main Hall | Richard Egarr and the AAM at Robeco Zomerconcerten | Rutger Muller |
 The Academy of Ancient Music has been critically acclaimed in pursuing Baroque composers’ original stylistic intent, and this gave tonight’s concert the prospect of a faithful look into the period of 1650-1750. Here are a few of my highlights from this varied Robeco Summer Concert in the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam.
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| 2-Jun-2012 Birmingham Symphony Hall | By royal appointment: Handel in Birmingham with the Academy of Ancient Music | Katherine Dixson, katherinedixson.co.uk |
 How’s this for an original way of displaying one’s celebratory Union Flag? Strapped to the top of one’s contrabassoon! Apart from the absence of the National Anthem and horseracing, this concert gave us the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee weekend in a nutshell, encompassing the solemnity and sovereignty of all four of Handel’s Coronation Anthems, the exuberance of the Music for the Royal Fireworks, and the pomp and pageantry of the Water Music.
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| 6-May-2012 Queen's Hall, Edinburgh | Brandenburg/Cantata Series III: Dunedin Consort at Edinburgh's Queen's Hall | Alan Coady |
 The Dunedin Consort are, as I write, engaged in recording Bach's Brandenburg Concertos. On the eve of this undertaking, they presented the third and final part of their Brandenburg/Cantata series. The format of paired concerto and cantata in either half contained a novelty: this was the first time I'd heard the consort play a composer other than Bach.
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| 4-May-2012 La Monnaie | De Munt: Grand Hall | Bejun Mehta gives commanding performance as Orlando at La Monnaie | Nahoko Gotoh |
 In Pierre Audi’s new production of Handel’s Orlando, currently running at La Monnaie in Brussels (until 12 May, and thereafter available free online on their website for three weeks), the knight Orlando is portrayed as a modern-day fireman who in his fascination with fire has become an arsonist – “pyromane” as Audi explains in the programme. I have to confess I spent the whole evening trying to come to terms with this concept and came out of the theatre still unconvinced.
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| 21-Apr-2012 Worcester Cathedral | Small forces take on a giant: Worcester Cathedral Chamber Choir sing Handel’s Messiah | Katherine Dixson, katherinedixson.co.uk |
 I’ve lost count of the times I’ve sung Handel’s Messiah, always in the context of a large choral society or the massed voices of a ‘come and sing’. So it was a special treat to let someone else do the work, and an interesting contrast to have this familiar oratorio delivered by a smaller ensemble.
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| 21-Apr-2012 Harris Theater, Millennium Park | Love Conquers All at the Chicago Opera Theater | Kristina Powers |
 “Love conquers all.” Too often this phrase has been repeated, yet too true this statement has proven. Rather than just being a passionate emotion in which desires of the world and flesh prevail, true love is a genuine feeling which trials or extreme evil cannot break, even in the most difficult of circumstances. Countless works of literature, film, and art – including musical compositions – have sought to communicate this message, and opera is no exception, since love often serves as opera’s keystone material.Read full review... | ||
| 20-Apr-2012 St George's Bristol | Julian Lloyd Webber and the EU Chamber Orchestra at St George's, Bristol | Alexandra Hamilton-Ayres |
 The European Union is not something one would normally expect to be associated with music, but their chamber orchestra is exceptional. Formed in 1981, they now have a worldwide reputation as musical ambassadors. Opening an evening of style and grace at St George’s, Bristol with Handel’s Arrival of the Queen of Sheba, the orchestra gave an air of confidence. Not only were they incredibly unified, but they had a cheery disposition on stage; smiling and connecting with each other through the music.Read full review... | ||
| 27-Mar-2012 George Weston Recital Hall | Tafelmusik’s Choral Spectacular: A 30-Year Celebration in Toronto | Daniel Frasca |
 An anniversary is undeniably a time for celebration, a time to reflect on past accomplishments whilst keeping the future in close view. This was the case for Tafelmusik’s Chamber Choir on the eve of their 30th anniversary. Choir director and conductor Ivars Taurins selected a vast variety of repertoire showcasing the choir’s skill through 17th- and 18th-century works, progressing into music of more recent composers. With this exulting programme, Taurins masterfully presented an assortment of sacred and secular works which complemented each other well.
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| 26-Mar-2012 Royal College of Music: Britten Theatre | London Handel Festival: A Strong Case for a Rare Handel Opera | Nahoko Gotoh |
 Riccardo Primo, Re d’Inghilterra (or in English, Richard I), is Handel’s only opera based on the story of an English monarch, and it was premiered in the coronation year of King George II in 1727 (although in fact it was composed the year before but postponed). Therefore, it made sense that this London Handel Festival production at the Britten Theatre should be set loosely in the Georgian period, rather than in the twelfth century of Richard the Lionheart himself.
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| 2-Mar-2012 Perth Concert Hall (Horsecross) | Bach Collegium of Japan in Perth | David Smythe |
Marco Borggreve.jpg) James Waters, Director of Classical Music at Horsecross, explained that he had been waiting for two years to welcome the Bach Collegium of Japan to Perth Concert Hall, with its especially good acoustic for baroque music. It is certainly a major coup for Perth to secure these internationally famous players for a whole weekend residency in the town, particularly as it is their only appearance in the UK this year.
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| 29-Feb-2012 Civic Opera House | The Lyric Opera of Chicago: Rinaldo | Kristina Powers |
 “It’s magic!” Whether through Disney cartoons, renowned illusionists, or smartphones, visual magic continues to delight contemporary audiences. Three hundred years ago in 18th-century London, audiences were stunned by Handel’s all-new operatic extravaganza Rinaldo, which not only featured a top-notch cast, but also the latest and greatest special effects. On Wednesday, the Lyric Opera of Chicago followed suit by transforming Handel’s epic masterpiece into a showcase of modern special effects.
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| 26-Feb-2012 Carnegie Hall, Zankel Hall | William Christie conducts Yale musicians at Carnegie | Stephen Raskauskas |
 Is there a better way to spend a Sunday evening than with William Christie conducting “An Evening of Handel” at Carnegie Hall? The Philharmonia Orchestra of Yale and Yale Choral Artists were lucky to perform under his baton, and sounded glorious playing and singing works by il caro Sassone, Mr. Handel.
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| 31-Jan-2012 McCarter Theater | Europa Galante: A fresh take on old favorites at McCarter | Stephen Raskauskas |
 Eurpoa Galante, directed by violinist Fabio Biondi, performed a program of baroque concerti at the McCarter Theatre on a world tour that includes stops at some highly prestigious venues.
Ever since Biondi formed his ensemble in 1990, he has been known for performing imaginative renditions of baroque favorites. He also has championed works and composers that otherwise might have been forgotten by the ravages of time.
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| 27-Jan-2012 The Morgan Library and Museum | Rare Baroque jewels shine at Morgan Library with Boston's Tragicomedia | Stephen Raskauskas |
 Tragicomedia presented a jewel-box of baroque cantatas at Gilder Lehrman Hall at the Morgan Library Museum. The elite ensemble, directed by Stephen Stubbs, includes some of America’s finest Baroque musicians, who can improvise in the style as well. Friday evening’s concert also featured soprano Shannon Mercer and bass-baritone Douglas Williams.
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| 23-Jan-2012 Le Poisson Rouge | Danielle de Niese launches "Beauty of the Baroque" | Amanda Keil, thousandfoldecho.com |
 Danielle de Niese, the much-marketed new star of the opera world, has been performing at the Met in The Enchanted Island this week, and came downtown on a night off this Monday to promote her new album of Baroque arias. A packed house filled (Le) Poisson Rouge, a club popular for both classical and mainstream artists, despite its unsuited acoustic. But sound quality was not on anyone’s minds listening to de Niese, whose megawatt smile, made-for-couture body, and Bambi eyes outshine any flaws.
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| 14-Jan-2012 Leeds Grand Theatre | Opera North's Giulio Cesare is a sparkling success | Laura Kate Wilson |
, Andrew Squires (Slave), Sarah Tynan (Cleopatra). Photo by Trisram Kenton.jpg) The Roman emperor Julius Caesar’s entanglement with the Egyptian queen Cleopatra is one of the best-known love stories of all time, and the operatic re-telling by George Frideric Handel, with its incredible music and universal themes of war, passion and politics, is experiencing a resurgence. In 2005, Glyndebourne mounted an award-winning production of the opera which they revived to great acclaim just four years later, and now Opera North have created an exciting new Giulio Cesare: their first staging of a Handel opera in more than ten years.
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