The first concert performance of the fragmentary surviving early version of the opera „Sosarme“ planned for 1 April 2020 at the London Handel Festival has unfortunately had to be cancelled. Handel fans are now hoping to hear „Fernando“ on 5 June at Handel Festival Halle in the Freylinghausen Saal of the Francke Foundation with soloists and the orchestra of Opera Settecento conducted by Leo Durate. Performance material specially created for this occasion from the Halle Handel Edition will be used for the first time.

In its structure Handel’s “Il pastor fido” is a rather modest work. But the music and plot offer plenty of opportunities for an effective theatrical experience.

With the new edition of George Frideric Handel’s most popular opera „Giulio Cesare“, opera houses now have the opportunity to recreate all four versions of the work and to choose the most appropriate one.

The first performance of Jean-Philippe Rameau’s Comédie-Ballet „Les Paladins“ was a failure from which the work did not recover for a long time. Today it strikes us as a jewel with many opportunities for presentation on the stage.

The subject matter is well-known from Handel, but the setting by Francesco Cavalli, almost a hundred years earlier, is no less effective.

Gluck, „a young man of the highest abilities and a fiery spirit“, composed his opera „Antigono“ for Rome. In July this thrilling stage work can be heard once again in Bayreuth.

“Love in a Village” has now been released as part of the ambitious “OPERA” publishing project. In the 18th century it was number one in the British Isles, but is now almost forgotten.