Anticipated premieres, rediscovered rarities and prestigious tours: a look back in images at a week when the baroque world shone from Paris to Wroclaw, from Colmar to Columbus. 
By 
Ariodante at the Opéra de Paris
It was an event… twice postponed because of strike action: the new production of Handel’s Ariodante at the Opéra de Paris finally lived up to expectations. Directed by Robert Carsen and conducted by Raphaël Pichon, the third performance — which by then had become the première — was a great success. A royal cast (inevitably) in the very Scottish setting of Balmoral Castle.
With Cecilia Molinari, Jacquelyn Stucker, Sabine Devieilhe, Christophe Dumaux, Ru Charlesworth, Luca Tittoto, Enrico Casari, the ensemble Pygmalion, the Chœurs de l’Opéra national de Paris and Raphaël Pichon.
La Colpa originale in Knechtsteden (Germany)
The Knechtsteden Early Music Festival in Germany opened its 2025 edition with the first performance since 1739 of Francesco Bartolomeo Conti’s La Colpa originale [The Original Sin]. This oratorio, written for Emperor Leopold I and premiered in Vienna in 1718, fell into oblivion after a few revivals, the last of which dates back to 1739. Now, more than 280 years later, it has been revived by Dorothee Oberlinger and her Ensemble 1700. The libretto by Pietro Pariati draws on the biblical story of the Fall of Man. Alongside the principal roles of Adam and Eve, Cherubino, Lucifero and Dio drive the dramatic plot, which culminates in expulsion from Paradise.
With Timothy Morgan, Jiayu Jin, David Tricou, Alice Lackner, Luigi De Donato, the Ensemble 1700 and Dorothee Oberlinger.
Vox Luminis and Freiburger Barockorchester at the Wratislavia Cantans Festival in Wroclaw
Vox Luminis, under the direction of Lionel Meunier, and the Freiburger Barockorchester began their European tour of Bach’s Mass in B minor at the 60th “Wratislavia Cantans” Festival in Wroclaw (Poland), before continuing to the Ambronay Festival (France), the Festival van Vlaanderen in Ghent (Belgium), St James, Spanish Place (London) and the Het Concertgebouw in Amsterdam.
With Erika Tandiono, Sophia Faltas, William Shelton, Victoria Cassano, Raphael Höhn, Sebastian Myrus, Felix Schwandtke, the ensemble Vox Luminis, the Freiburger Barockorchester and Lionel Meunier.
Early Music season prelude in Columbus (Ohio)
As a prelude to its 46th 2025/26 season, Early Music in Columbus invited Corina Marti (harpsichord) and Michał Gondko (lute) to introduce audiences at St Mark Episcopal Church to music from sixteenth-century Poland. At the end of the concert, the musicians were welcomed by board members Mary Ellen Tyus, Lois Rosow and Barry Liss.
With Corina Marti and Michał Gondko.
Jean Rondeau and François Couperin in Colmar
As part of his Couperin cycle, Jean Rondeau was able to record several pieces on the precious Ruckers/Vater harpsichord (1624) from the Unterlinden Museum in Colmar. For the first time, the museum agreed to move this exceptional instrument, which has survived the centuries and benefited from a restoration that restored its full splendour. The recording took place in the so-called “piscine” hall, an acoustic setting which, according to Jean Rondeau, brings out all the nobility of its sound. A documentary film accompanied this project.
With Jean Rondeau.
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