Mariana Flores brings Barbara Strozzi to life at Cadogan Hall

By David Karlin, 29 July 2019

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Reviewed at Cadogan Hall, London on 29 July 2019

Strozzi, L’amante segreto

Bembo, Ercole amante: Mingannasti in verità

Strozzi, Che si può fare

Bembo, Ercole amante: Volgete altrove il guardo

Strozzi, Sino alla morte

Cavalli, Ercole amante: E vuol dunque Ciprigna

Strozzi, Lagrime mie

Ramirez, Alfonsina y el mar

Mariana Flores, Soprano

Cappella Mediterranea

Leonardo García-Alarcón, harpsichord/organ/director

Castor et Pollux in Geneva: among the stars, with shadows

Laura Servidei, 28th March

Rameau’s Castor et Pollux returns to the stage in a new production that brings together Baroque repertoire and contemporary theatrical aesthetics, conducted by Leonardo García Alarcón and performed by Cappella Mediterranea with an international cast.

***11

Les Indes galantes at the Teatro alla Scala: Love and Thunder

Laura Servidei, 16th November

Leonardo Garcia-Alarcón leads a crisp, charismatic account of Rameau's Les Indes galantes, where a superb cast shines and the Cappella Mediterranea thoroughly convinces.

****1

Masked marvels and Venetian mischief: Cavalli at Bayreuth Baroque

Mengguang Huang, 14th September

In the intimate splendour of the Margravial Opera House, Bayreuth Baroque revives Cavalli’s Pompeo Magno with a riot of colors, eight masked countertenors and a Tiepolo-like air of playful chaos.

*****

Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui presents Idomeneo as a confused ballet in Geneva

Laura Servidei, 2nd March

The Grand Théâtre de Genève presents a new production of Mozart’s opera seria where the focus is all on dancing and rope twirling. Nevertheless, a good cast, led by Federica Lombardi as Elettra, manages to shine through.

**111

Pure entertainment from early opera: La finta pazza

David Karlin, 7th May

Extraordinary singing and acting from Mariana Flores stands out in a joyous concert performance of one of the first operas ever written.

****1

Les Indes galantes: with Alarcón, Rameau conquers the Bastille

Philippe Ramin, 28th September

The new production of Les Indes galantes at Opéra Bastille is exceptional, from the vocal cast to the choreography by Bintou Dembélé. But the stand-out performance of the evening comes from conductor Leonardo Garcia Alarcón.

*****

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David Karlin

David is a co-founder of Bachtrack. He is a musical omnivore interested in almost all types of music, but with a particular love of Italian opera. You can contact him from this link.