Biondi's Baroque adventure: L'Oracolo in Messenia

By Charlotte Valori, 23 February 2015

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“Magnus Staveland's Polifonte is nicely scheming, almost verging on the camp evil genius”

Reviewed at Barbican Hall, London on 20 February 2015

Vivaldi, L'oracolo in Messenia, RV 726

Fabio Biondi, Director, Violin

Julia Lezhneva, Trasimede

Marina de Liso, Emira

Vivica Genaux, Epitide

Marianne Beate Kielland, Merope

Magnus Staveland, Polifonte

Rupert Enticknap, Anassandro

Franziska Gottwald, Licisco

Europa Galante

Disappointing outing for Scarlatti in the Halle Handel Festival

Sandra Bowdler, 13th June

Scarlatti's oratorio proves a rather disappointing outing for Fabio Biondi and Europa Galante, not helped by the venue's acoustics.

**111

Biondi leads energetic Messiah in New York

David Wolfson, 12th December

Fabio Biondi, making his New York Philharmonic debut, leads the New York Phil, the Handel and Haydn Society Chorus, and a quartet of soloists in a Messiah that emphasizes momentum.

***11

Fabio Biondi and Stephen Hough deliver surprises in Singapore

Chang Tou Liang, 29th April

Rossini, Mozart and a rare symphony by Kalliwoda display programming diversity that is both interesting and sophisticated.

****1

For the finale in Valtice, a Vivaldi feast from Europa Galante

Frank Kuznik, 16th October

Fabio Biondi and his Europe Galante players offer an enlightening look at the last chapter in the composer's career.

****1

Spoiler alert: Juliet doesn’t die in Zurich I Capuleti e i Montecchi

Laura Servidei, 21st September

The Opernhaus Zürich revives Christof Loy’s production with a new young cast under the baton of Fabio Biondi.

**111

A remarkable rendition of Handel’s Silla at the Enescu Festival

Edward Sava-Segal, 5th September

Europa Galante's musicians’ collective expertise in playing music of the 17th and 18th centuries is indisputable and was in full display once again in Bucharest.

****1

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Charlotte Valori

Charlotte Valori read Classics at Christ Church, Oxford. As a classicist, her main interest is Greek tragedy and its reception by later cultures, which has led to a continuing passion for theatre and opera. Charlotte reviews for several online magazines, and won the Bachtrack Opera Award 2015 for Best Written English Review. Follow her on Twitter @operissima.

Biondi's Baroque adventure: L'Oracolo in Messenia with Europa Galante