Zurich, Milan, New York, Paris

Agrippina, one last time (Zurich)

On 30 March, Zurich Opera House gave its final performance of Handel’s Agrippina in Jetske Mijnssen’s staging, with period ensemble La Scintilla under the baton of Harry Bicket. This production boasted a dazzling cast and, as Charles Sigel wrote on ForumOpéra, it “reincarnated itself as a biting comedy, with nods to Netflix aplenty before veering into bedroom farce with lovers in closets […] until, quite unexpectedly, these TV-like caricatures were pierced by moments of genuine emotion, shifting the entire tone of the piece.” A vividly colourful evening – and one that gave centre stage to women!

With Nahuel Di Pierro, Anna Bonitatibus, Christophe Dumaux, Lea Desandre, Jakub Józef Orliński, José Coca Loza, Alois Mühlbacher, Yannick Debus, La Scintilla and Harry Bicket.

L’opera seria, for the first time (Milan)

It was a first for La Scala in Milan on Saturday 29 March: L’opera seria, a 1769 satire of the 17th-century theatrical world by composer Florian Leopold Gassmann and librettist Ranieri de’ Calzabigi, was conducted by Christophe Rousset with his ensemble Les Talens Lyriques, in a staging by Laurent Pelly. With this production, La Scala continues its systematic work of rediscovering Italian opera’s earliest roots. Following Venetian works (La Calisto by Cavalli and L’Orontea by Cesti) and Neapolitan ones (Li zite ‘ngalera by Vinci), 2025 brings us to the meeting between a Czech composer and one of Italy’s greatest poets.

With Pietro Spagnoli, Mattia Olivieri, Giovanni Sala, Josh Lovell, Julie Fuchs, Andrea Carroll, Serena Gamberoni, Les Talens Lyriques and Christophe Rousset.

French baroque from Nevermind at Carnegie Hall (New York)

The quartet Nevermind made their Carnegie Hall debut in the Weill Recital Hall with a programme dedicated to French baroque music. On the bill: works by Couperin, Hotteterre, Montéclair, and Élisabeth Jacquet de La Guerre – one of the very few renowned female composers of her time.

Avec Anna Besson, Louis Creac’h, Robin Pharo et Jean Rondeau.

20 years of les Musiciens de Saint-Julien (Paris)

A look back at the 20th anniversary celebrations of Les Musiciens de Saint-Julien, held at the Salle Gaveau in Paris. François Lazarevitch and his close collaborators offered not one but two birthday concerts: the first devoted to Vivaldi, Bach and Telemann, the second a vibrant Celtic celebration, featuring traditional Irish, Scottish and English tunes. The flautist and his ensemble seized the occasion to showcase the breadth of their artistic approach – equally rigorous and inventive in their interpretations of both “learned” music and folk repertoire.

With the singers and instrumentalists of Musiciens de Saint-Julien.