Masked marvels and Venetian mischief: Cavalli at Bayreuth Baroque

Max Emanuel Cenčić (Pompeo) and Valer Sabadus (Scipione Servilio)

Max Emanuel Cenčić (Pompeo) and Sophie Junker (Giulia)

Nicolò Balducci (Sesto)

Dominique Visse (Delfo) and Marcel Beekman (Atrea)

By Mengguang Huang, 15 September 2025

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“Bayreuth trades in beauty, detail, and theatrical seduction”

Reviewed at Margravial Opera House, Bayreuth on 14 September 2025

Cavalli, Pompeo Magno

Leonardo García-Alarcón, Conductor

Max Emanuel Cenčić, Director, Pompeo

Helmut Stürmer, Set Designer

Corina Gramosteanu, Costume Designer

Léo Petrequin, Lighting Designer

Cappella Mediterranea

Mariana Flores, Issicratea

Valerio Contaldo, Mitridate

Alois Mühlbacher, Amore, Farnace

Nicolò Balducci, Sesto

Sophie Junker, Giulia

Victor Sicard, Cesare

Nicholas Scott, Claudio

Valer Sabadus, Scipione Servilio

Jorge Navarro Colorado, Crasso

Dominique Visse, Delfo

Kacper Szelążek, Harpalia

Marcel Beekman, Atrea

A Baroque Netflix evening: Zurich’s star-studded Giulio Cesare

Mengguang Huang, 28th March

Davide Livermore’s high-octane production transforms Handel into a lavish blockbuster. While the superstars shine, the relentless entertainment-first approach often sacrifices musical refinement and dramatic logic for Netflix-style spectacle.

***11

Handel's Serse – the Vegas version – in Karlsruhe

Sandra Bowdler, 15th February

The problem with on-stage vulgarity is that, while it might be sophisticated and knowing satire, it ends by being what it is parodying.

***11

Rivals: Max Emanuel Cenčić in Halle

Sandra Bowdler, 8th June

Max Emanuel Cenčić with Armonia Atenea under George Petrou provide an exciting and satisfying concert at the Halle Handel Festival

****1

A heavy crown: austere Monteverdi at the Staatsoper

Hugo Shirley, 13th December

The Staatsoper's new L'incoronazione di Poppea is serious, intelligent but short on fire.

***11

A stellar cast for a Handelian rarity

Laura Servidei, 24th September

Ann Hallenberg shines in an amazing cast in a concert performance of Handel's Ottone in Vienna.

***11

A huge slice of Handel: Tamerlano

Charlotte Valori, 10th November

Handel's Tartar-Ottoman drama Tamerlano gets a majestically beautiful, if not wildly dramatic, outing at the Barbican with Il Pomo d'Oro.

***11

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Mengguang Huang

Mengguang Huang is a Hamburg-based project manager in the construction industry. With a strong passion for classical music, he was introduced to the world of early music during his time in the UK, where he developed a particular fondness for renaissance and Baroque vocal music. Driven by his love for this genre, he now makes it a priority to attend major Baroque opera productions and concerts across Western Europe whenever possible, continuing to deepen his appreciation for this rich musical tradition.

Masked marvels and Venetian mischief: Cavalli’s Pompeo Magno at Bayreuth Baroque