Handel’s Baroque opera Giulio Cesare in Egitto unfolds here as a high-stakes drama of power, passion and survival. Dmitri Tcherniakov’s powerful production strips the story to its psychological core, placing political rivalry and a fiery love story within the claustrophobic setting of an underground bunker. Christophe Dumaux delivers a compelling Cesare, while Olga Kulchynska shines as a “lyrical” Cleopatra in her Salzburg debut. With a superb supporting cast, above all Lucile Richardot as Cornelia “with her smouldering mezzo” (BR Klassik) and Federico Fiorio as Sesto, Emmanuelle Haïm conducts Le Concert d’Astrée from the harpsichord, shaping “a perfect whole” (Kurier) of musical brilliance and electrifying theatre.
Der Ring des Nibelungen
“Velvety sound of unmatched beauty” (The Guardian)
“Musically, this ‘Ring’ blew away everything that had gone before – and we are talking about a performance history of more than one hundred years.” (Die Welt)
“Christian Thielemann creates a sound paradise.” (Süddeutsche Zeitung)
“Tcherniakov, as usual, manages details on a level rarely seen in opera.” (The New York Times)
“A dream cast of voices” (Le Monde)
“Wagner at his best.” (BR Klassik)
“Spectacular und breath-takingly precise, that’s how Thielemann illuminates the Wagner score.” (NZZ)
“Michael Volle’s Wotan […] is an event, […] Rolando Villazón plays a fabulous Loge.” (FAZ)