The Baroque era was the golden age of vocal virtuosity, when the cult surrounding famous castrati bordered on deification. Today, this extraordinarily demanding repertoire is performed by countertenors (both alto and soprano), and one of the brightest stars in this specialised field is undoubtedly the Israeli singer Maayan Licht. He captivates audiences around the world with his energy and dazzling artistry, and Czech listeners have had the opportunity to experience his talent in opera productions at the National Theatre in Brno including Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro with Collegium 1704 and Here I am, Orlando by the composer Ľubica Čekovská, both directed by Jiří Heřman.
Programme:
Nicola Porpora (1686‒1768):
Nel già bramoso petto
George Frideric Handel (1685‒1759):
Scherza infida
Come nembo
Salve Regina
Maayan Licht (male soprano)
Collegium 1704
Václav Luks (dirigent)
Tuesday 3rd February 2026 from 7:30 p.m.
Vzlet, Holandská 669/1, 101 00 Praha 10
26th cycle of concerts by the Collegium Marianum ensemble.
Hail, bright Cecilia! (Henry Purcell, George Frideric Handel)
The opening concert of the 26th Baroque Soirées in the beautiful setting of the Lobkowicz Palace at Prague Castle will feature the works of two giants of English music – Henry Purcell and George Frideric Handel. Henry Purcell, known as ‘Orpheus Britannicus’, was an extremely prolific composer, with a significant part of his work consisting of music for theatre plays and five famous semi-operas, which include not only sung performances, but also dances and spoken dialogues. The most famous of these is the adaptation of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream – The Fairy Queen, from which we have selected several arias and dances for this concert. As the title of the concert suggests, parts of an ode in honour of St. Cecilia, patron saint of musicians.
George Frideric Handel can rightly be considered an example of an international artist who, influenced by the works of French, Italian and German authors, made an absolutely crucial contribution to the development of opera in England. The programme will feature several of his opera arias, full of stirring emotions and feelings.
Programme:
Henry Purcell (1659–1695)
Timon of Athens, Z. 632 Curtain Tune on a Ground
The King Arthur, Z. 628 “Shepherd, leave decoying”
Oedipus, Z. 583 “Music for a while”
Hail, bright Cecilia, Z. 328 “Thou tun's this world below”
“The Airy Violin”
The Fairy Queen, Z. 629 Arias and Dances
Dido and Aeneas, Z. 626 "Oft she visits this lonely mountain"
George Frideric Handel (1685–1759)
Acis and Galatea, HWV 49, Act I “Hush, ye pretty warbling quire!”
"Love in her Eyes sits playing"
Evaristo Felice Dall᾿Abaco (1675–1742)
Concerto a più instrumenti in E minor, op. 5, No. 3
George Frideric Handel
Jephtha, HWV 70 “Waft her, angels, through the skies”
Ode for St. Cecilia's Day, HWV 76 “The soft complaining flute”
Premiére 11. 4. 2026. Tickets are selling out fast…
George Frideric Handel: Agrippina, HWV 6 (opera seria)
Pavla Vykopalová (soprano – Agrippina)
Martin Glaser (director)
Collegium 1704
Václav Luks (conductor)
Saturday 11th April 2026 from 6:00 p.m. (premiére),
Saturday 18th April 2026 from 6:00 p.m.,
Sunday 19th April 2026 from 5:00 p.m.,
Sunday 10th May 2026 from 6:00 p.m.,
Saturday 30th May 2026 from 6:00 p.m.,
Sunday 31st May 2026 from 6:00 p.m.
Janáček Theatre, Brno
Johann Sebastian Bach's Brandenburg Concertos are among the pinnacles of Baroque music. Three of them will be performed in the programme specially prepared for Smetana's Litomyšl. In the masterful interpretation of the Czech Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra under the baton of British conductor Nicholas Kraemer, the joy, playfulness and brilliant virtuosity of the compositions, which are a timeless symbol of Baroque beauty and musical perfection, come to life. The palette of this beautiful music is complemented by concertante compositions by Georg Philipp Telemann and Georg Friedrich Händel.
Due to their interpretative demands, the series of six Bach concertos is rarely performed in their entirety. A unique opportunity to hear the remaining three concerts performed by the same artists is offered to listeners in Prague, where they will be performed on June 8, 2026, as part of the concert cycle of the Czech Chamber Music Society.
Program:
Johann Sebastian Bach:
Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 in F major, BWV 1047
Georg Philipp Telemann:
Concerto in E minor for recorder and transverse flute, strings and basso continuo, TWV 52:e1
Johann Sebastian Bach:
Brandenburg Concerto No. 6 in B flat major, BWV 1051
Georg Friedrich Händel:
Concerto grosso No. 7 in B flat major, op. 6, HWV 325
Johann Sebastian Bach:
Brandenburg Concerto No. 4 in G dur, BWV 1049
Czech Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra
Nicholas Kraemer – conductor
Thursday, 18th June 2026 from 5:00 p.m.,
Friday, 19th June 2026 from 5:00 p.m.,
Smetana House, Komenského nám. 402, 570 01 Litomyšl
The oratorio, which is based on apocryphal texts, opens up timeless themes of justice, honor and false accusation – a story that still resonates today. Collegium 1704 will bring this fascinating music to the Second Castle Courtyard, where they already enchanted the audience with their extraordinary performance of Messiah years ago. It promises an evening full of tension, emotion and baroque virtuosity that will draw the audience into the very heart of the story.
Programme:
Georg Friedrich Händel: Susanna, HWV 66
Oratorio in three parts
Susanna – Kateryna Kasper
Joacim – Gabriel Díaz
Chelsias – Pavol Kubáň
Collegium 1704 and Collegium Vocale 1704
Václav Luks – conductor
Sunday 21st June from 8:00 p.m.
Castle Riding School, State Chateau Litomyšl, Jiráskova 93, 570 01 Litomyšl
“The Force of Nature” – a recital by Maayan
Licht, an exceptional soprano specializing in Baroque opera, promises an evening in the company of composers such as George Frideric Handel, Antonio Vivaldi and Domenico Scarlatti. In the intimate atmosphere of the castle theatre, his sense of drama and fine feeling for baroque ornaments will be fully displayed.
Program:
George Frideric Handel:
“Ombra mai fu”, Xerxes
“Un pensiero nemico di pace”, Il trionfo del Tempo e del Disinganno, HWV 46a
Antonio Vivaldi:
“Zeffiretti che sussurrate”, Ercole sul Termodonte, RV 710
The programme ‘Il Polifemo’ invites the audience into the fascinating world of Baroque music, inspired by the myth of the cyclop Polyphemus – a theme that masters such as Handel, Bononcini and Alberti kept returning to. After his triumph at Smetana's Litomyšl in 2025 as Count Almaviva in ‘The Marriage of Figaro’, Italian bass-baritone Luigi De Donato promises an evening full of drama, Baroque charm and unforgettable musical moments.
Programme:
George Frideric Handel:
Sinfonia Acis and Galatea, HWV 49 (London, 1718): Presto. Adagio
Aria “Fra l'ombre e gl'orrori”
Recitative “Cadrai depressa e vinta”
Aria “Precipitoso nel mar che freme”
(Aci, Galatea e Polifemo, HWV 72, Naples 1708)
Antonio Caldara:
Sinfonia C major: Allegro – Andante e piano – Allegro
Domenico Alberti:
Recitative “Fermati, Galatea”
Aria “Sanno san l'arene”
Recitativo “No, no, segua quest'arte”
Aria “Se scordato il primo amore”
(La Galatea, Venice 1737/40)
Giovanni Bononcini:
Overture “Polifemo”
Recitativo “Intesi oppur sognai”
Aria “Vanarella, pazzerella”
Recitative “Dieci vacche, otto vitelli”
(Polifemo, Charlottenburg, 1703)
Johann Georg Schürer:
Sinfonia “La Galatea”: Allegrissimo
Aria “Dalla spelonca úšite”
Aria “Se scordato il promo amore”
(La Galatea, Dresden 1746)
Johann Friedrich Fasch:
Ouverture in a, FaWV K:a1
(Dresden ca. 1740)
George Frideric Handel
Aria “Sibilar gli angui d'Aletto“
(Aci, Galatea e Polifemo, HWV 72, Naples 1708)
Luigi De Donato – bass-baritone
Collegium 1704
Václav Luks – conductor
Sunday 28th June from 2.00 p.m.
Castle Riding School, State Chateau Litomyšl, Jiráskova 93, 570 01 Litomyšl
Tuesday 30. June 2026, probably from 8:00 p.m. The probable venue for the concert is the courtyard of the Horácká gallery (the castle),
Vratislav Square 1, 592 31 Nové Město na Moravě
From June 1st, 2026, it will be possible to book tickets on the slunohrani.cz website.
Znojmo Music Festival
Baroque meets oriental tradition: Znojmo and the Jews
A vibrant musical journey uniting Western and Eastern musical traditions. This concert weaves the European Baroque style together with the rich tapestry of oriental melodies and rhythms known from the Middle East, the Mediterranean, and the Balkans. Performed by mezzo-soprano Maya Amir and the eight-member ensemble Avventura Barroca, the programme ranges from Monteverdi to Vivaldi, alongside traditional Sephardic and Arabic songs, Ottoman court music, and various folk motifs.
The Church of St. Michael is located in the area of the former Jewish quarter, which once stretched mainly along Veselá Street and formed an important part of Znojmo. Its history is closely tied to the Jewish community that lived here for centuries. The concert thus becomes a tribute and a remembrance of the Jewish inhabitants of Znojmo, who throughout the city’s history endured repeated injustices and hardships.
Programme:
Salomone Rossi (1570‒1630)
HaShirim Asher Li-Shlomo (The Songs of Solomon) (Venice, 1622‒1623)
“Barechu” (To bless)
Elam Rotem
Song of Songs 2:1‒5, “Ani chavatselet haSharon”
(I am the Rose of Sharon) (Basel, 2013)
Barbara Strozzi (1619‒1677)
Op. 8, “Che si può fare” (Mantua, 1664)
Jean Baptiste Lully (1632‒1687)
Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme (Paris, 1670)
Chaconne des Scaramouches
Marche pour la Cérémonie des Turcs
Antonio Vivaldi (1678‒1741)
In furore iustissimae irae, RV 626 (Rome, 1720‒1725)
1. In furore iustissimae irae – Allegro
Recitativo: Miserationum Pater piissime
2. Tunc meus fletus evadet laetus – Largo (Psalm 126: “They who sow in tears shall
reap with songs of joy.”
3. Alleluia – Allegro
Arrangement: Alon Ohana, Leat Sabbah
Cemil Bey (1871‒1916)
Oyun havasi in Makam Hüseynî: “Çeçen Kızı” (Turkey)
Andon Efendi (?‒1925)
“Hicâz Mandira” (Turkey)
—— Intermission ——
Salomone Rossi (1570‒1630)
HaShirim Asher Li-Shlomo (The Songs of Solomon) (Venice, 1622‒1623)
“Shir Hama’alot“ (Blessed is Everyone that Feareth the Lord)
George Frideric Handel (1685‒1759)
Esther (HWV 50)
Act I, Scene 2, Israelite Woman: “Praise the Lord with Cheerful Noise”
Cristiano Giuseppe Lidarti (1730‒1793)
Ester Oratorio
Act III, Scene 2, Ester: “Zed yahir, Mimeni Heref” (You villain, stay away from me)
Traditional Ladino
“Yo m‘enamuri d‘un aire” (Unkown)
“Durme, hermoso hijico” (Unkown)
“Los guisados de la Berenjena” (Rhodes)
Antonio Vivaldi (1678‒1741)
Juditha Triumphans, RV 644
“Armate face et anguibus” (Vagaus)
Aviva Amir
Night on the Waters (Israel, 2015)
“Chambers”
“Aneni” (Oh Lord, Hear Me)
Saturday 11th July 2026 from 7:00 p.m.
St. Michael's Church, Jezuitské náměstí (square),
669 02 Znojmo
Chamber concert in the unique atmosphere of the Kuks Hospital.
A. Vivaldi: Trio in G minor for violin, lute and continuo
A. Vivaldi: Trio Sonata Op. 1 no. 1 in G minor G. F. Händel: Lucrezia: “O, numi eterni”
J. G. Orsler: Trio C minor
M. Pignolet de Monteclair: La morte di Lucrezia
Pavla Radostová – soprano
Collegium 1704
Saturday, 18th July 2026 from 6:00 p.m.
Holy Trinity Church, Kuks Hospital 81,
544 43 Kuks.
Gala concert featuring music of royal courts and coronation compositions
The highlight of this year’s Znojmo Music Festival will be marked by royal dignity and festive brilliance. The final gala concert will transport listeners into the atmosphere of royal courts, coronations, and sacred ceremonies, where music resounded as a symbol of power, faith, and beauty.
Performed by the SILENTIUM! ensemble under the artistic direction of Andreas Scholl, who will make his Znojmo debut in an unconventional role as conductor, the programme will feature works by G. F. Handel, J. D. Zelenka, and J. J. Fux—composers closely linked to Europe’s rich tradition of music written for crowned heads. The repertoire will include, among others, Handel’s majestic Zadok the Priest, Zelenka’s festive Te Deum, and Fux’s striking Sinfonia “Turcaria”.
The concert also serves as a symbolic culmination of the celebrations of Znojmo’s 800th anniversary—a tribute to the city’s historic grandeur, cultural wealth, and living tradition, which for centuries has intertwined art, spirituality, and the European cultural spirit.
Programme:
George Frideric Handel (1685‒1759): Zadok the priest (1727) HWV 258
Jan Dismas Zelenka (1679‒1745): Te Deum (1731) ZWV 146
Johann Joseph Fux (1660‒1741): Sinfonia a 3 in C major 'Turcaria' (1743) K.331 George Frideric Handel(1685–1759): My Heart is Inditing (1743) HWV 261
SILENTIUM! ensemble
Andreas Scholl (conductor)
Wednesday 29th July 2026 from 7:00 p.m.
St. Nicolas Church, Mikulášské náměstí (square) 62/13, 669 02 Znojmo
Mythologia aeterna – Mythical Figures in the Operas of G. F. Handel
and the Secular Cantatas of J. S. Bach
The Olympic gods themselves will be watching over the closing ceremony of the 27th edition of the Summer Festivities of Early Music. Mythology provided poets and composers with a rich repertoire of dramatic characters, symbols, archetypal motifs, and supernatural events that lent themselves to emotionally powerful musical interpretations. These universal and timeless stories explore human virtues, vices, passions, joyful events, and tragic fates…
The final concert comprises opera arias by George Frideric Handel and Henry Purcell, as well as rarely performed secular cantatas by Johann Sebastian Bach (commissioned by the University of Leipzig in honour of the Saxon royal family and the university’s professors). The audience will have the opportunity to admire inventive melodies, bold harmonies, colourful instrumentation, lively rhythms, and brilliant virtuosity.
Programme:
Henry Purcell (1659–1695):
“What Power Art Thou” (King Arthur)
Ouverture (King Arthur)
Chaconny in G minor
Georg Friedrich Handel (1685–1759):
Suite in G major “Water Music“
Gavotte (Allegro)
"Revenge! Timotheus Cries“ (Alexander's Feast)
Arrival of the Queen of Sheba (Solomon)
“Leave Me Loathsome Light“ (Semele)
“Alcides’ Name in Latest Story“ (Hercules)
“O Ruddier than the Cherry“ (Acis and Galatea)
Georg Philipp Telemann (1681–1767):
“L'Omphale“ Overture
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750):
“Wie will ich lustig lachen“
(Zerreißet, zersprenget, zertrümmert die Gruft)
“Zu Dance, jump, and the heart will wobble“
(Speed, speed, you whirling winds)
“Crown and Prize of Crowned Ladies“
(Ring, you drums! Resound, trumpets!) etc.
Andreas Wolf – bass-baritone
Baroque orchestra “Collegium Marianum”
Jana Semerádová – flute traverso, artistic director
Lenka Torgersen – concertmaster
Wednesday, 5th August 2026 from 7:30 p.m.
Sts. Simon and Jude Church
Dušní/U Milosrdných Street, 110 00 Prague 1 – Old Town
The Summer School of Baroque Music in 2026 opens a platform for the study of one of the most impressive works in musical history – the oratorio Saul (HWV 53) by George Frideric Handel. This year is conceived as an intensive research and interpretation immersion into the work that defined a new era of English oratorio and pushed the boundaries of Baroque musical drama.
The spirit of a comprehensive approach to the informed interpretation of early music will of course be characteristic for the tuition. We will focus on the study of selected key scenes that represent the peak of Handel's compositional mastery.
Among the lecturers you will find a number of leading active musicians and educators in the field of early music from the Czech Republic and elsewhere.
Georg Friedrich Händel: Saul, HWV 53
(selection from the oratorio)
Friday 7th August 2026 from 7:00 p.m.
Holešov Castle, Square of F. X. Richter 190, 769 01 Holešov
(advance sale from 1st August 2026 at the Municipal Information Centre, nám. Dr. E. Beneše 17, Holešov, Phone: 573 395 344)
Saturday 8th August 2026 from 7:30 p.m.
Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary and Saint Anne, Rajnochovice 12, 768 71 Rajnochovice
(advance sale from 1st August 2026 on www.smsticket.cz – exact link not yet available).
Sunday 9th August 2026 from 3:00 p.m.
Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary in Štípa, Mariánské square 57, 763 14 Zlín 12
(information about tickets not yet available).
Summer Holidays at Dobrohoř Castle
“Fantasie for Mr. Händel”
Program details not published.
Jana Semerádová – fluto traverso
Filip Hrubý – harpsichord
Monday 24th August 2026 from 6:00 p.m.
Dobrohoř Castle (Ebergersch), No. 160,
378 82 Staré Město pod Landštejnem
Baroque Europe is as worth a journey today as it was in the Baroque era! The emergence of opera at the beginning of the seventeenth century opened up previously unimagined possibilities and a vast creative space for vocal music in general. The direct connection between immediate human emotion and the artfully shaped singing voice presented composers in every country with fascinating artistic challenges.
Composers of different nations responded to these challenges in remarkably creative, but also highly distinctive ways. Claudio Monteverdi, one of the founding fathers of opera, developed a musical language in which word and music were directly related, allowing individual emotions to find immediate expression. Henry Purcell, the ‘Orpheus Britannicus’, drew directly on the power of the theatre in his compositions, creating music of an almost physical intensity and unsurpassed immediacy. At the same time, French composers such as Jean-Baptiste Lully, Marc-Antoine Charpentier and Jean-Philippe Rameau refined the entire range of human emotions in their tragédies. By the beginning of the eighteenth century, great masters of musical expression such as Handel and Vivaldi could already draw on a rich international tradition.
In an intimate setting, Czech tenor Petr Nekoranec and harpsichordist Kateřina Ochmanová take us on a journey through the emotionally rich sound world of Baroque vocal music.
Programme:
Marc-Antoine Charpentier, Jean-Baptiste Lully, Antonio Vivaldi,
George Frideric Handel, Jean-Philippe Rameau
opera arias
Monday, 7th September 2026 at 8.00 p.m.
in the Theresian Hall of Břevnov Monastery,
Markétská 1/28, 169 00 Prague 6 – Břevnov
The concert is by invitation only and seating is limited.
If you are seriously interested in attending, please contact the organisers at: event@haendel.cz
Lípa Musica 2026 Music Festival
Opera Gala – Opening Concert Il Canto Amoroso
The queen of Baroque opera, Roberta Mameli. A star of European stages from Teatro alla Scala to world festivals, she instills strength, revolt and tenderness in her female heroines. Her voice can switch between light and shadow with a breathtaking ease. You will experience an evening full of captivating arias.
Programme:
Johann Friedrich Fasch (1688‒1758):
Ouverture D major, FWV K:D16
Part One: Ouverture, Air Allegro, Bourrée 1&2 George Frideric Handel (1685‒1759):
Aci, Galatea e Polifemo, HWV 72 „Qui l’augel da pianta in pianta lieto vola“ George Frideric Handel (1685‒1759):
Lotario, HWV 26 „Scherza in mar la navicella“
Antonio Vivaldi (1678‒1741):
Il Giustino, RV 717i „Augelletti garruletti“
Johann Friedrich Fasch (1688‒1758):
Ouverture D major, FWV K:D16
Part Two: Air, Gavotte & Trio, Menuet 1&2 George Frideric Handel (1685‒1759):
Aci, Galatea e Polifemo, HWV 72 „Verso già l´alma col sangue“
—— přestávka —— George Frideric Handel (1685‒1759):
L’Allegro, il Penseroso, ed il Moderato, HWV 55 „Sweet bird“ George Frideric Handel (1685‒1759):
Solomon, HWV 67 Sinfonia: Arrival of the Queen of Sheba
„Will the sun forget to streak“
Antonio Vivaldi
Ottone in Villa, RV 729 „Gelosia, tu già rendi l’alma mia“
Roberta Mameli (soprano)
Collegium Marianum Orchestra
Lenka Torgersen (concert master)
Jana Semerádová (artistic leader)
Friday 11th September 2026 7:00 hod.
F. X. Šalda Theatre, Dr. Edvard Beneš Square 22, 460 01 Liberec
Recipient of the Antonín Dvořák Award and artist-in-residence of this year's festival, mezzo-soprano Magdalena Kožená will pay tribute to the composers closest to her heart – the Baroque masters.
Programme:
George Frideric Handel (1685‒1759):
Concerto grosso, op. 6, no. 1 in G major, HWV 319
Antonio Vivaldi (1678‒1741):
Il Giustino, RV 717 (1724) „Vedrò con mio diletto“
George Frideric Handel (1685‒1759):
Agrippina, HWV 6 (1710) „Pensieri voi mi tormentate“
Antonio Vivaldi (1678‒1741):
Concerto in G minor for two cellos, string orchestra and basso continuo, RV 531
Antonio Vivaldi (1678‒1741):
Il Farnace, RV 711 (1727) „Gelido in ogni vena“
Antonio Vivaldi (1678‒1741):
Concerto in G minor for strings and basso continuo, RV 157
George Frideric Handel (1685‒1759):
Ariodante, HWV 33 (1734) „Scherza, infida“ „Dopo notte atra e funesta“
A play about the power of art and the fragile line between reason and madness reminds us that when the muses speak, weapons are silent.
A drama performance featuring Handel's music.
Claire van Kampen: Farinelli and the King (in Czech)
Music can sometimes do what no medicine can do – calm the chaos in the head and bring peace. This is exactly what happens at the court of King Philip V of Spain, who closes himself off from the world, sinks into dark states, and refuses to hear what is really happening in the country. The desperate Queen Elizabeth brings Farinelli to the court – a singer with a range so unprecedented and a voice so captivating that he awakens in the king something that doctors have failed to do – the desire to live.
Wednesday 5th November 2025 7:00 p.m.,
Thursday 20th November 2025 7:00 p.m.,
Tuesday 2nd December 2025 7:00 p.m.,
Wednesday 10th December 2025 7:00 p.m.,
Tuesday 6th January 2026 7:00 p.m.,
Wednesday 28th January 2026 7:00 p.m.,
Wednesday 18th February 2026 7:00 p.m.,
Thursday 26th March 2026 7:00 p.m.,
Friday 10th April 2026 7:00 p.m.,
Friday 22nd May 2026 7:00 p.m.,
Monday 22nd June 2026 7:00 p.m.,
Thursday 24th September 2026 7:00 p.m.,
Tuesday 6th October 2026 7:00 p.m.,
Rokoko Theatre, Wenceslas Square 38, 110 00 Prague 1.
Gala concert featuring music of royal courts and coronation compositions
The reintroduction of the programme this year’s Znojmo Music Festival Closing Concert will be marked by royal dignity and festive brilliance. The concert will transport listeners into the atmosphere of royal courts, coronations, and sacred ceremonies, where music resounded as a symbol of power, faith, and beauty.
Performed by the SILENTIUM! ensemble under the artistic direction of Andreas Scholl in an unconventional role as conductor, the programme will feature works by G. F. Handel, J. D. Zelenka, and J. J. Fux—composers closely linked to Europe’s rich tradition of music written for crowned heads. The repertoire will include, among others, Handel’s majestic Zadok the Priest, Zelenka’s festive Te Deum, and Fux’s striking Sinfonia “Turcaria”.
Programme:
George Frideric Handel (1685‒1759): Zadok the priest (1727) HWV 258
Jan Dismas Zelenka (1679‒1745): Te Deum (1731) ZWV 146
Johann Joseph Fux (1660‒1741): Sinfonia a 3 in C major 'Turcaria' (1743) K.331 George Frideric Handel(1685–1759): My Heart is Inditing (1743) HWV 261
SILENTIUM! ensemble
Andreas Scholl (conductor)
Wednesday 7th October 2026 from 7:00 p.m.
St. Peter and Paul Cathedrale, Petrov 268/9, 602 00 Brno
The oratorio Susanna belongs among the culminating works of the final years of George Friedric Handel’s life. This drama of Susanna’s false accusation from 1749 — in which Handel also employed strikingly dramatic features drawn from opera — was evidently a work the composer himself held in high regard, as he arranged for it to be performed again shortly before his death in 1759. It promises an evening full of tension, emotion and baroque virtuosity that will draw the audience into the very heart of the story.
Programme:
George Frideric Handel: Susanna, HWV 66
Oratorio in three parts
Susanna – Kateryna Kasper (soprano)
Joacim – Gabriel Díaz (countertenor)
Chelsias – Pavol Kubáň (baritone)
Daniel Tereza Zimková (soprano)
An Attendant Helena Hozová (soprano)
First Elder Ondřej Holub (tenor)
Second Elder Tomáš Šelc (bass)
Judge Jiří Miroslav Procházka (bass)
Collegium 1704 and Collegium Vocale 1704
Václav Luks – conductor
Sunday 2nd November from 8:00 p.m.
Dvořák Hall, Rudolfinum, Alšovo nábřeží 79/12, 110 00 Prague 1 – Old Town
A mother who kills her own children out of revenge.
Musical theatre project with words by Euripides, Franz Grillparzer and others, and music by George Frideric Handel, Marc-Antoine Charpentier and others.
In Italian, French and German with German and English subtitles.
Lisa-Katrina Mayer (Medea)
Johannes Bamberger (Jason)
Corinna von Rad (director)
Bach Consort Wien
Benjamin Bayl (conductor)
Sunday 1st March 2026 11:00am (introductory matinee),
Tuesday 17th March 2026 7:00 p.m. (premiére),
Thursday 19th March 2026 7:00 p.m.,
Saturday 21st March 2026 7:00 p.m.,
Monday 23rd March 2026 7:00 p.m.,
Thursday 26th March 2026 7:00 p.m.,
Saturday 28th March 2026 7:00 p.m.,
Monday 30th March 2026 7:00 p.m.,
Wednesday 1st April 2026 7:00 p.m.
Kammeroper (Chamber Opera), Fleischmarkt 24, 1010 Wien
Bayreuth (about 50 km from the Czech border) is mainly known for the summer Richard Wagner Festival, held in the huge Festival Theatre. But there is also a beautiful, relatively newly renovated Margrave's Baroque Theatre, where the Bayreuth Baroque opera festival has been held every September since 2020. In 2026, it will take place from 4th to 13th September. It is not cheap, but the environment and artistic experience are exceptional.
Getting tickets is not exactly easy. From 8th December 2025, pre-sale is open to holders of the so-called Golden Card, which costs 590(!) EUR, but brings a number of benefits, including free admission to the concerts in the Schlosskirche on 5th and 12th September 2026. The link above contains the email and telephone number for the festival box office. Public pre-sale opens on 11th December 2025.
Handel's Floridante
It is a co-production with the Handel Festival in Karlsruhe. Max Emanuel Cenčić is the director and sings the title role.
George Frideric Handel: Floridante (HWV 14) (opera seria)
Max Emanuel Cencić (Floridante)
Eva Zalenga (Rossane)
Sonja Runje (Elmira)
Bruno de Sá (Timante)
Pavel Kudinov (Oronte)
Yannis François (Coralbo)
Friday 4th September 2026 6:00 p.m.
Sunday 6th September 2026 6:00 p.m.
Tuesday 8th September 2026 6:00 p.m.
Thursday 10th September 2026 6:00 p.m.
Saturday 12th September 2026 6:00 p.m.
Sunday 13th September 2026 6:00 p.m.
Markgräfliches Opernhaus (Margrave's Opera House), Opernstraße 14, 95444 Bayreuth.
Chaos und Ordnung (Chaos and Order)
Vocal recital of mainly 17th century Italian music
Francesco Cavalli, Agostino Steffani, Cristoforo Caresana, George Frideric Handel, and others.
Maximiliano Danta (countertenor)
I Porporini (accompanying ensemble)
Gerd Amelung (musical direction, harpsichord)
Saturday 5th September 2026 at 2:00 p.m.
Schlosskirche Bayreuth, Neues Schloss, Münzgasse 1, 95444 Bayreuth
Handel's Nature
In the concert Handel's Nature, Christoph Dumaux and Les Accents, conducted by Thibault Noally, present a selection of his favorite arias by the Halle master. And he has a wealth of material to draw from: although Handel's operas draw on a long tradition and rarely deviate from the rigid dramaturgy of opera seria, his arias have a formal and emotional range that far exceeded the norms of the time – there is hardly a human emotion that Handel did not subtly and directly set to music! When a world-renowned star of Baroque singing like Christoph Dumaux takes on these masterful arias, no heart can remain unmoved and no eye dry.
Saturday 5th September 2026 7:30 p.m.
Markgräfliches Opernhaus (Margrave's Opera House), Opernstraße 14, 95444 Bayreuth
Koffer-Arien (Arias from the Suitcase)
The Baroque opera stage is densely populated with people from past times and distant lands. Ancient myths went out of fashion at the beginning of the 18th century, and so characters from ancient Rome, distant Persia, or the Migration Period flocked to the stage. However, opera from this period is more than just sung history lessons, for external and internal dramas of timeless significance unfold against the backdrop of the relevant historical context. In strongly emotional conflicts between duty and love, as well as cold political expediency and fiery passion, inner freedom and virtue must be demonstrated in times of external oppression. Singers of the Baroque era were able to express these emotions convincingly, and they all always carried their favorite arias with them, because the dramaturgy of Baroque opera made it possible to quickly replace individual arias with so-called “suitcase arias”.
Programme: George Frideric Handel (1685‒1759)
Concerto grosso in B-Dur op. 3/2, HWV 313 Vivace – Largo – Allegro – Moderato – Allegro
Attilio Ariosti (1666‒1729)
“Mi sento intorno al cor” from Lucio Vero
Nicola Antonio Porpora (1686‒1768)
“Timida pastorella” from Adelaide Georg Friedrich Handel
Concerto Grosso in D Minor Op. 3/5, HWV 316 Largo – Fugue: Allegro – Adagio – Allegro ma non troppo – Allegro
Baldassare Galuppi (1706‒1785)
“Son qual nave esposta ai venti” from L'inganno tradito dall'amore
Johann Adolf Hasse (1699‒1783)
“Se fra turbini” from Attalo, re di Bitinia
—— break —— Georg Friedrich Handel
Concerto Grosso in F Major Op. 3/4, HWV 315 Andante – Allegro – Andante – Allegro – Minuetto
Johann Adolf Hasse (1699‒1783)
“Se grato esser mi vuoi” from Ezio
Geminiano Giacomelli (1692‒1740)
"Vaghe luci voi sapeste” from Scipione in Cartagine nuova Georg Friedrich Handel
Concerto Grosso in B Minor Op. 6/12, HWV 330 Largo – Allegro – Aria and variato: Larghetto – Largo – Allegro
Giovanni Porta (1675‒1755)
„Mi parla nel seno“ from Farnace
Geminiano Giacomelli
„Bel cader qualor pugnando“ from Lucio Papirio dittatore
Monday 7th September 2026 7:30 p.m.
Markgräfliches Opernhaus (Margrave's Opera House), Opernstraße 14, 95444 Bayreuth
Caesar meets Rodelinda
The Roman general and statesman Gaius Julius Caesar and the Lombard queen Rodelinda probably didn't have much in common. One ruled ancient Rome as a dictator, the other struggled to hold on to the throne in the 7th century. Yet, miraculously, both caught the attention of the early 18th century. Caesar and Rodelinda gained particular attention from Baroque opera composers - the number of musical and theatrical adaptations of their stories is almost innumerable. However, they achieved musical immortality primarily through George Frideric Handel, who breathed new life into The Roman in February 1724 and into The Lombard Queen in February of the following year.
Names like Farinelli, Caffarelli, Senesino and Carestini still resonate vividly in our ears today, even though their voices have long since faded. And yet today we do not have to completely give up this art form.
George Frideric Handel, Antonio Vivaldi, Nicola Antonio Porpora, Leonardo Leo, Leonardo Vinci and others.
Friday 11th September 2029 7:30 p.m.
Markgräfliches Opernhaus (Margrave's Opera House), Opernstraße 14, 95444 Bayreuth
Viaggio in Europa (Voyage in Europe)
George Frideric Handel, Antonio Vivaldi, Claudio Monteverdi, Henry Purcell, Jean-Baptiste Lully, Jean-Philippe Rameau and Marc-Antoine Charpentier.
Petr Nekoranec (tenor)
Kateřina Ochmanová (harpsichord)
Saturday, September 12, 2026 at 2:00 p.m.
Schlosskirche Bayreuth, Neues Schloss, Münzgasse 1, 95444 Bayreuth
Theatre ‘An der Wien’, Vienna
Handel's Hercules
George Frideric Handel: Hercules, HWV 60 –
a Musical Drama in three acts on English libretto by Thomas Broughton. Concert performance in English with German surtitles.
A tragedy of jealousy: after a long absence fighting in the war, Hercules returns home, bringing with him his vanquished enemy’s daughter as booty. His wife Dejanira regards the foreign princess with mistrust and even though Hercules insists that he loves no one but her the queen is consumed by jealousy and hate, which ultimately leads to a dreadful tragedy. George Frideric Handel calls Hercules a “musical drama”, and the work, first given in 1745, is indeed no static oratorio, but an absorbing English opera that presents the myth of Hercules’s death as a psychological tragedy. In it, Handel creates powerful character studies, particularly for the three main characters of Hercules the war hero, his wife Dejanira and the princess Iole. But the work’s highlights are its choruses that comment on the plot as in a Greek tragedy.
Edwin Crossley-Mercer (Hercules)
Avery Amereau (Dejanira)
Thaïs Raï-Westphal (Iole)
Bastien Rimondi (Hyllus)
Opera Fuoco Orchestra
Choeur de Chambre de Namur
David Stern
Wednesday 21st October 2026 7:00 p.m.
Theater an der Wien, Linke Wienzeile 6, Vienna
George Frideric Handel: Radamisto, HWV 12 –
an opera seria in three acts to an Italian libretto by
Nicola Francesco Haym.
Concert performance in Italian with German surtitles
With the foundation of the Royal Academy of Music in 1719, George Frideric Handel placed his London opera career on a commercial footing that brought him success, at least in the medium term. Now his task was to compose one hit opera after another for the King’s Theatre on Haymarket, and Handel scored an immediate success with his very first opera for the Academy: with its tragic love stories, surprising plot twists and virtuoso arias, Radamisto had everything needed to send opera fans of the time home happy. First given in the spring of 1720, the work was revived later that same year, but this time the title role was performed by a singer only recently arrived in England: the star castrato Senesino. For him, Handel added more arias to the score. He did the same thing when the two prima donnas Faustina Bordoni and Francesca Cuzzoni appeared in later performances of the opera. As a result, the total of four versions of Radamisto provide a virtually inexhaustible source of brilliant arias, and it will be fascinating to see which ones Benjamin Bayl and the Wrocław Baroque Orchestra choose to bring with them to the Theater an der Wien.
Max Emanuel Cenčić (Radamisto)
Fanny Lustaud (Zenobia)
Dennis Orellana (Tigrane)
Katrīna Paula Felsberga (Polissena)
Zachary Wilson (Tiridate)
Federico Fiorio (Fraarte)
Tomáš Král (Farasmane)
Wrocław Baroque Orchestra
Benjamin Bayl (conductor)
Friday 6th November 2026 7:00 p.m.
Theater an der Wien, Linke Wienzeile 6, Vienna
George Frideric Handel: Orlando, HWV 31 –
an opera seria in three acts to an Italian libretto adapted from Carlo Sigismondo Capece's L'Orlando after Ludovico Ariosto's Orlando Furioso.
“Never in my whole life have I heard better music,” commented one audience member following the first performance of George Frideric Handel’s Orlando. The story of the knight whose love for Princess Angelica causes him to lose his mind has its origins in the epic poem Orlando furioso by Ludovico Ariosto. But it is Handel’s music that turns the medieval tale into a drama of human passions that examines the question of the relationship between rationality, feelings and passion in a person. Far removed from the conventions of Baroque opera, Orlando, Princess Angelica and her lover Medoro go through a drama of self-discovery that reaches its climax in the scene depicting Orlando’s madness, which is also remarkable for its music. Singer and conductor Raffaele Pe brings a concert version of this drama to the MusikTheater an der Wien with his ensemble La Lira di Orfeo and sings the title role himself.
Raffaele Pe (Orlando)
Roberta Mameli (Angelica)
Dennis Orellana (Medoro)
Sarah Hayashi (Dorinda)
Giacomo Nanni (Zoroastro)
La Lira di Orfeo
Elisa Citterio (concert master)
Raffaele Pe (leader)
Wednesday 3rd March 2027 7:00 p.m.
Theater an der Wien, Linke Wienzeile 6, Vienna
George Frideric Handel: Rinaldo, HWV 7 –
an opera seria in three acts to a libretto prepared by Giacomo Rossi from a scenario provided by Aaron Hill.
A co-production with La Monnaie / De Munt Brussels
In Italian with German and English surtitles.
The start of George Frideric Handel’s operatic career in London is spectacular: His Rinaldo, first given in 1711, is a tale of crusaders intent on freeing the holy city of Jerusalem from the “infidels”. But the Christian warrior Rinaldo soon loses his way on a bewildering battleground where he is pulled this way and that between Europe and the Orient, magic and sorcery, virtue and sexuality. What use is heroism in a war for the true faith that is barely winnable? In her production, Nadja Loschky focuses not on the clash of two political and religious systems, but on Rinaldo as the victim of a murderous war in whose mind’s eye the opulent scenes of Handel’s opera unfold. The score Handel wrote for his crusaders and Ottoman warriors, for the Christian princess Almirena and the sorceress Armida was perhaps his most magnificent and diverse. His arias are character studies which at the same time drive a dramatic plot. Francesco Corti, one of the most exciting conductors of Baroque music of our day, leads the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin.
Nadja Loschky (stage director)
Katharina Schlipf (stage design)
Irina Spreckelmeyer (costume design)
Karl Wiedemann (light design)
Thomas Wilhelm (choreography)
Yvonne Gebauer, Kai Weßler (dramaturgy)
Carlo Vistoli (Rinaldo)
Yuriy Mynenko (Goffredo)
Mélissa Petit (Almirena)
Kateryna Kasper (Armida)
Alejandro Baliñas Vieites (Argante)
Rémy Brès-Feuillet (Eustazio)
Dominique Visse (Mago cristiano)
Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin
Francesco Corti (conductor)
Sunday 2st March 2027 11:00 am (Introductory Matinee)
Friday 9th April 2027 7:00 pm (Premiere)
Sunday 11th April 2027 7:00 pm
Wednesday 14th April 2027 7:00 pm
Friday 16th April 2027 7:00 pm
Sunday 18th April 2027 7:00 pm
Wednesday 21th April 2027 7:00 pm
Friday 23rd April 2027 7:00 pm
Sunday 25th April 2027 7:00 pm
Theater an der Wien, Linke Wienzeile 6, 1060 Vienna
