If you lock people together in a courtyard and wait, all sorts of escapades will ensue. What one could call the celebrity Big Brother of the Baroque actually bears the name “Flavio, re de’ longobardi” and is a dramma per musica by George Frideric Handel that has not been performed since the 1990s. As part of the “Bayreuth Baroque Opera Festival”, which takes place from September 7th to 17th, artistic director and countertenor Max Emanuel Cencic is bringing Handel’s work back to the stage.
The second of the two scenic operas “L’Orfeo” (1617) by Claudio Monteverdi is now also premiered in Germany in the version by Thanos Papakonstantinou, which premiered in Athens in 2017. Orpheus, who does not have a happy ending in this production but is killed by vengeful maenads, is played by tenor Rolando Villazón.
For the first time, the opera productions will be followed by two gala dinners and a brunch on the last day of the festival. These take place in the premises of the newly acquired Colmdorf Castle. A three-course menu is served for 149 euros. For the main course you can choose between pork fillet with goat cheese, chicken breast with cranberry sauce and truffle risotto. The program also includes opera arias by Carl Heinrich Graun, performed by Valer Sabardus, and pieces by the Neapolitan School, sung by Bruno de Sá.
In addition to the opera house, which with its painted wooden architectural elements was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2012 as the “most beautiful preserved baroque court theatre”, “Bayreuth Baroque” also invites visitors to numerous other venues. The religious order church of St. Georgen, the castle church of Bayreuth and the orangery of the Hermitage are also there. The latter will host two dinner concerts on September 11th. Countertenor Maayan Licht sings by candlelight with his musical accompaniment Guy Maori.
According to Clemens Lukas, managing director of the opera festival, more than 5,000 spectators are expected this year. In order to bear the costs of such a festival, “Bayreuth Barocque” is sponsored not only by private sponsors but also by official sources. In addition to the Free State of Bavaria and the City of Bayreuth, the District of Upper Franconia and the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media are also involved for the first time.
Bayreuth Baroque, Sep. 7-17, Margravial Opera House Bayreuth and other locations. Info below www.bayreuthbaroque.de