Handel: Xerxes (Serse)

Handel: Xerxes (Serse)

180 mins | Drama, Comedy, History, Music | Sept. 14, 2018

Xerxes is one of Handel’s latest and most frequently performed operas, famous for its marvelous opening aria ‘Ombra mai fu’. At the centre of the confusing tragicomedy, very loosely based upon the life of Xerxes I of Persia, is a powerful and lovesick royal eccentric, King Xerxes. Rising opera star Gaëlle Arquez in the title role of Xerxes ‘scintillates with her nimble, luminous mezzo-soprano’, singing ‘irresistibly beautiful, impassioned, furious – but never mean’ (Frankfurter Rundschau). Frankfurt’s excellent Opera and Museum Orchester contributes ‘all sorts of refinements’ to this ‘musical smash hit’ (Deutschlandfunk) and ‘In Frankfurt Tilman Köhler ensures a three-hour short abundant and furious banquett … a great evening of opera’ (Deutschlandfunk).

Handel: Xerxes (Serse)

180 mins | Drama, Comedy, History, Music | Sept. 14, 2018

Handel: Xerxes (Serse)
Xerxes is one of Handel’s latest and most frequently performed operas, famous for its marvelous opening aria ‘Ombra mai fu’. At the centre of the confusing tragicomedy, very loosely based upon the life of Xerxes I of Persia, is a powerful and lovesick royal eccentric, King Xerxes. Rising opera star Gaëlle Arquez in the title role of Xerxes ‘scintillates with her nimble, luminous mezzo-soprano’, singing ‘irresistibly beautiful, impassioned, furious – but never mean’ (Frankfurter Rundschau). Frankfurt’s excellent Opera and Museum Orchester contributes ‘all sorts of refinements’ to this ‘musical smash hit’ (Deutschlandfunk) and ‘In Frankfurt Tilman Köhler ensures a three-hour short abundant and furious banquett … a great evening of opera’ (Deutschlandfunk).
Producers Unitel
Original title Handel: Xerxes (Serse)
Directors Tilmann Köhler, Tiziano Mancini
Writers Francesco Cavalli, Nicolò Minato

Cast

Louise Alder

as Atalanta

Gaëlle Arquez

as Xerxes

Brandon Cedel

as Ariodate

Thomas Faulkner

as Elviro

Elizabeth Sutphen

as Romilda

Lawrence Zazzo

as Arsamene