Tokyo, Reykjavik, Lisbon, Lyon, Metz, Krakow

Il Trionfo del Tempo in Lisbon

The National Theatre of São Carlos presented Handel’s Il Trionfo del Tempo e del Disinganno for three performances at Lisbon’s Teatro São Luiz, in a bold staging by Italian director Jacopo Spirei and under the baton of Michael Hofstetter, conducting the Portuguese Symphony Orchestra. For Jacopo Spirei, this deeply philosophical work — written by Catholic cardinal Benedetto Pamphili — incorporates secular elements as it explores the tension between fleeting earthly pleasures and the longing for spiritual love… all set within a Christmas atmosphere! Two additional performances are scheduled at the Teatro Circo in Braga on 26 and 27 April.

With Eduarda Melo, Ana Vieira Leite, Cátia Moreso, Marco Alves dos Santos, l’Orchestre symphonique du Portugal and Michael Hofstetter.

The Freiburger Barockorchester on tour in Japan

The Freiburger Barockorchester and Kristian Bezuidenhout recently concluded their Japan tour at the City Arts Center in Mitaka (see photo), following two sold-out concerts to an enthusiastic audience at Tokyo’s Toppan Hall.

With the Freiburger Barockorchester and Kristian Bezuidenhout.

2nd Edition of the Reykjavík Early Music Festival (Iceland)

This week marked the second edition of the Reykjavík Early Music Festival. The opening concert celebrated the 10th anniversary of the ensemble Barokkbandið Brák, with a programme showcasing the expressive power and virtuosity of 18th-century string music, featuring works by Locatelli, Castrucci, Leclair and Vivaldi. Also on the programme was Concerto Scirocco with Sirens & Soldiers, and a special appearance by Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin with Xenia Löffler, presenting a Bach-centred performance. The festival, directed by violinist Elfa Rún Kristinsdóttir, was launched in Reykjavík in March 2024.

With Barokkbandið Brák, Concerto Scirocco and the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin.

A unique experience in Lyon

At the end of March, the Centre de musique baroque de Versailles, in collaboration with the national conservatoires of music and dance in Lyon and Paris, offered a unique musical experience in Lyon’s Chapelle de la Trinité: a recreation of a session of the Académie des Beaux-Arts de Lyon — one of the most prestigious concert institutions of the 18th century. Under the direction of Damien Guillon, artist-in-residence with the CMBV’s Maîtrise for the 2024–2025 season, this exceptional reconstruction brought together early music students from the CNSMDs of Lyon and Paris, the Chantres of the CMBV, and the Centre’s Research Department. The programme, presented for the first time, offered an historically informed reconstruction of period instrumentation, performance practice and musical context — a project that truly embodied the dialogue between artistic interpretation and scholarly research.

With the orchestra and soloists of the CNSMDs of Lyon and Paris, the Chantres of the CMBV and Damien Guillon.

Les Surprises and Véronique Gens enchant Metz’s Auditorium

Following Passion (2020), which toured widely across festivals, ensemble Les Surprises continues its collaboration with soprano Véronique Gens in a new programme: Reines (‘Queens’). Premiered in late March at the Auditorium in Metz — where it was also recorded for a forthcoming CD — this project takes the form of an imaginary opera for soloist, orchestra and choir, paying tribute to the many faces of queens in 18th-century French opera: sovereigns, sorceresses, goddesses — symbols of power, sorrow or enchantment. Tragic arias, laments, storms, magical scenes and pastoral celebrations form a vibrant emotional palette, carried by Véronique Gens’s expressive voice and supported by Les Surprises’ orchestra and choir. The programme combines well-known works by Rameau and Gluck with rarities by Destouches, Francœur and Dauvergne — a musical journey firmly rooted in baroque tradition, yet attuned to the aesthetic and political shifts of the late 18th century.

With Les Surprises and Véronique Gens.

Misteria Paschalia in Krakow

The 2025 edition of Misteria Paschalia is currently underway in Krakow, as it is every year during Holy Week. The opening concert, held in Saint Martin’s Church, featured the Portuguese ensemble Capella Sanctae Crucis performing the Requiem de Coimbra — an anonymous and previously unrecorded four-part funeral mass, most likely sung at the Monastery of Santa Cruz in Coimbra during the first half of the 16th century. Founded in 2004 on the initiative of Filip Berkowicz and organised by the Krakow Festival Office, Misteria Paschalia showcases sacred and secular music from the Middle Ages to the 18th century. The 2025 edition features Le Poème Harmonique, Collegium Vocale Gent, {OH!} Orkiestra, La Guilde des Mercenaires and other renowned ensembles.

With Capella Sanctae Crucis, Le Poème Harmonique, Collegium Vocale Gent, {OH!} Orkiestra and La Guilde des Mercenaires.