Ann Hallenberg

With her husband apparently drowned at sea, a scheming empress secures the throne for her son from another marriage. But the commander of the army has other ideas, and then the emperor returns, very much alive. Drottningholm Palace Theatre (Drottningholms slottsteater in Swedish), located at Drottningholm Palace in Stockholm, is one of the few 18th century theatres in Europe that is still used as a theatre with original stage machinery. The beautiful rococo backdrop is the starting point for this production of Agrippina. The Italian conductor and harpsichordist Francesco Corti, a regular collaborator of the orchestras Les Musiciens du Louvre and Il Pomo d'Oro, presides over Handel’s music which is bursting with originality and fun, as well as carefully considered moments of great beauty.

Au début du XVIIIe siècle, le carnaval de Venise rayonne bien au-delà de la lagune. Dissimulés derrière des masques, les Vénitiens et des voyageurs venus de toute l'Europe festoient, dansent, écoutent de la musique. La saison 1729 est exceptionnelle avec notamment la création de sept opéras et les débuts du célèbre castrat Farinelli. Dans un concert privé donné au palais Zenobio, la mezzo-soprano Ann Hallenberg, accompagnée par l’orchestre Il Pomo d’Oro, dirigé par Zefira Valova, interprète les plus grands succès lyriques de cette année éblouissante. Une page d'histoire mémorable racontée aussi, entre deux pauses d'archets, par la romancière Donna Leon, qui a fait de la cité des Doges le cadre de ses enquêtes policières.

The story follows Vivian's life from young girl through two marriages, divorce, liberation and class trip, to a baglady.

Serse is perhaps Handel's most intriguing operas. Rediscovered at the 1924 Göttingen Handel Festival, the work soon became one of the composer's most popular operas, surpassed only by Giulio Cesare. Its popularity might in part be due to the incredibly popular aria it contains, Ombra mai fu. Recordings of the complete opera are rare and this one first presented in Dresden combines a visually strong staging with exceptional cast and ensemble of Baroque specialists.

In Tamerlano, Handel defied rules both written and tacit—offering a main role to a mature tenor at a time when the castrato voice dominated; and not shying away from shocking scenes that other composers approached hesitantly, like suicide. Pierre Audi’s elegant, minimalist staging allows an all-star cast of singers to highlight the work’s many dramatic elements, proving that Baroque opera can still move and thrill us as it did 300 years ago!