A stirring St John Passion in Seattle from Stephen Stubbs and Pacific MusicWorks

A rare chance to see the first extant opera written by a woman, Francesca Caccini's La liberazione di Ruggiero dall’ isola d’ Alcina. 

Seattle Opera’s tiny Tagney Jones Hall hosts a new production of Gluck's opera, but without the happy ending he was forced to provide. 

A riotous double bill of Pergolesi at the Boston Early Music Festival.

Handel's La Resurrezione, anchored the Boston Early Music Festival’s Thursday programs in a dramatic reading by many of the same forces performing Campra’s La Carnaval de Venise.

In spite of superb performances from the Boston Early Music Festival Orchestra and the two lead soloists, Steffani’s Niobe at the Concertgebouw offers too few inspired moments to make it truly memorable.

Tragicomedia presented a jewel-box of baroque cantatas at Gilder Lehrman Hall at the Morgan Library Museum. The elite ensemble, directed by Stephen Stubbs, includes some of America’s finest Baroque musicians, who can improvise in the style as well. Friday evening’s concert also featured soprano Shannon Mercer and bass-baritone Douglas Williams.