Performer: Julia Lezhneva

Sometimes the programme just feels right: a dramatic cantata by Haydn, a “pantomime grotesque” by Bartók and Mahler's Fourth Symphony. Colour and contrasts galore from soloist, conductor and orchestra.

Handel's oratorio Il trionfo del Tempo e del Disinganno receives its first-ever performance at Berlin's Philharmonie, proving that in the hands of Emmanuelle Haïm beauty can indeed defeat time. 

The 2002 production of Handel’s masterpiece is revived with a solid cast under the baton of Riccardo Minasi.

This year’s festival features a rare Handel opera, led by director and countertenor Max Emanuel Cenčić, an unusual production of Monteverdi’s L'Orfeo, and a veritable feast of recitals.