From Lausanne to Montreal, via Bordeaux and Prague, early music has taken many forms in recent days: Handel’s “Orlando” on the operatic stage, the “Leçons des Ténèbres” in the half-light of a church, Telemann in an intimate salon concert, and a programme devoted to Baroque women composers. 
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In Lausanne, Handel’s Orlando
At the Opéra de Lausanne, Mariame Clément staged Handel’s Orlando, with the Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne conducted for the first time by Christopher Moulds, a renowned Handel specialist. This rarely performed opera was first heard at London’s King’s Theatre in 1733, with the castrato Senesino in the title role.
With Paul-Antoine Bénos-Djian, Marie Lys, Paul Figuier, Ana Vieira Leite and Callum Thorpe.
In Bordeaux, Leçons des Ténèbres by Louis-Noël Bestion de Camboulas and Les Surprises
At the church of Notre-Dame in Bordeaux, the ensemble Les Surprises, under the direction of Louis-Noël Bestion de Camboulas, invited audiences into a world of shadows and chiaroscuro. High points of the Baroque sacred repertoire, the Leçons des Ténèbres were performed in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries during the Holy Week Tenebrae services — highly codified and theatrical ceremonies in which the gradual extinction of light was as significant as the music itself. The intimate project devised by Les Surprises draws inspiration from these works, whose austere yet refined style and spellbinding vocal lines seem capable of suspending both time and space.
With Paco Garcia, Étienne Bazola, Stephen Collardelle, Romain Bazola, François Joron, Les Surprises and Louis-Noël Bestion de Camboulas.
In Prague, Telemann at the Salon Café Crème concerts
At the Church of St Lawrence in Prague, soprano Hana Blažíková, recorder player Michaela Koudelková, cellist Libor Maško and harpsichordist Monica Knoblochová presented an evening devoted to the music of Georg Philipp Telemann, as part of the Salon Café Crème concert season.
With Hana Blažíková, Michaela Koudelková, Libor Maško and Monica Knoblochová.
In Montreal, Arion Baroque for International Women’s Rights Day
At Montreal’s Salle Bourgie, the orchestra Arion Baroque marked International Women’s Rights Day by shining a light on Maria Teresa Agnesi and Maria Margherita Grimani, two composers long overlooked. Built around the name Mary and entitled “The Tears of Mary”, the programme brought together tears of joy and sorrow — and sometimes both at once.
With Anthea Pichanick, the Arion Baroque and Marie van Rhijn.
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