Countertenor Iestyn Davies and harpist Oliver Wass come together to perform their journey through the ages with a programme spanning 400 years of music. Oliver Wass is a renowned soloist on the concert stage and was the first ever harpist to win the Guildhall Gold Medal. He joins together with internationally renowned countertenor Iestyn Davies who last appeared on the Garsington stage as Oberon A Midsummer Night’s Dream (2024) which featured in the 2024 BBC Proms to great critical acclaim.

Iestyn Davies & Oliver Wass

Wormsley

And there was light: By the end of the 16th century at the latest, affect had become an indispensable component of music. Stylus luxurians – "luminous style" – is what music theorist and composer Christoph Bernhard calls this creative device, which was also prevalent in the Baroque period and is characterized by theatricality and intense emotional expression. The Ensemble Astrum researches, experiments, and creates. In their program "And there was light ," the trio of artists led by award-winning Salzburg recorder player Felix Gutschi and Dutch soprano Noëlle Drost dedicate themselves to the stylus luxurians and take the audience on an emotionally profound journey through the Renaissance, Baroque, and early Classical periods.

Museum Concert: Ensemble Astrum And there was

Mozart Residence

The Collegium Musicum performs music from the sixteenth to eighteenth centuries, with repertoire ranging from solo cantatas to madrigals, oratorios, operas, concertos, and other orchestral works. Recent concerts have included performances of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos, Handel’s Concerti Grossi, op. 3, Purcell’s King Arthur and The Fairy Queen, Lully’s Psyché and Thésée, Luigi Rossi’s Orfeo, Cavalli’s Ercole amante and La virtù de’ strali d’Amore, and Monteverdi’s Madrigali guerrieri, et amorosi.

EPSG:4326

Collegium Musicum

Eastman School of Music

Hugh Cutting made history in 2021 as the first countertenor to win the Kathleen Ferrier Award and join the roster of BBC New Generation Artists. A rising-star soloist, he was hailed by the Times as “an exceptional voice: lustrous and rounded, with power in reserve and immaculate intonation.”

The English Concert and Hugh Cutting at Wigmore Hall

Wigmore Hall

Beyond – Music Beyond Time

Saanen Church

"  Born in Florence at the beginning of the 16th century , opera quickly captivated Venetian audiences in the 1620s and 1630s. It then moved beyond the confines of court festivities and became accessible to the general public, who now paid for their tickets. Around 1650, Naples, still lacking a major opera composer, imported works from Venice, notably those of Monteverdi and Cavalli, leading figures of 18th - century Venetian music. Neapolitan adaptations, such as The Coronation of Poppea , bear witness to this. This program celebrates these two composers, enriched by instrumental pieces by Falconieri, for a Neapolitan touch!"

Monteverdi and Cavalli: two Venetians in Naples

Monteverdi Festival Cremona

Cortot Room

Festival of the Abbey of Saint-Michel en Thiérache

A jewel from the golden age of Venetian opera, this exuberant masterpiece mashes up multiple Roman myths, bending both gender and genre as it romps through eternal battles of love versus lust and responsibility versus desire.

La Calisto

Playhouse on the Square

Explore the life and influences of 17th-century Italian musician Antonia Bembo, whose incredible journey takes us from Venice to the court of Louis XIV in Paris. With text and narration by Symphony violinist and author Isabelle Fournier, and a spectacular performance by virtuoso lutenist Lucas Harris, we examine the rivalry and the union between French and Italian baroque music, art, and culture.

Corelli, Lully, & Bembo

St. Andrew's United Church

What could be more splendid, more magnificent, more powerful than the music composed for the wedding of the Sun King Louis XIV? Vincent Dumestre and his baroque ensemble Le Poème Harmonique convey an impression of the unique splendor of this wedding music.

The Harmonic Poem | Vincent Dumestre

Museum Ludwig

The programme for this concert has changed and is now as below.

Jakub Józef Orliński countertenor; il Pomo d'Oro

Immerse yourself in the enchanting world of opera this summer at The Glimmerglass Festival with the 2024 production of Francesco Cavalli's "La Calisto." This captivating performance, under the artistic and general direction of Rob Ainsley, brings to life a sparkling early opera that masterfully combines comedy, pathos, gods, mortals, and even a few rutting satyrs. Ainsley's 2013 realization of the score expands Cavalli’s original continuo and strings with original parts for winds and brass, promising a rich and immersive auditory experience.

"La Calisto" weaves together two myths of transformation, delivering a hilarious caper filled with mistaken identities, raunchy trysts, and celestial magic. Set in the midst of Cavalli's career, the opera was designed to entertain and amuse the discerning Venetian public. This bold take on the classic opera will be conducted by Ainsley, directed by Mo Zhou, and choreographed by Eric Sean Fogel, featuring set design by Charlie Corcoran, costume design by Carlos Soto, and lighting design by Amith Chandrashaker.

The opera, sung in Italian with projected English text, runs for approximately 2 hours and 25 minutes. Performances are scheduled from July 23 to August 17, 2024, offering multiple opportunities to experience this magnificent production.

The story follows Jove's attempts to seduce the beautiful nymph Calisto, a follower of the goddess Diana who has taken a vow of chastity. The plot thickens with mistaken identities, unrequited loves, and divine interventions, leading to unexpected transformations and celestial destinies.

Generously sponsored by Allison and W. Keyes Hill-Edgar, the cast features Emilie Kealani as Calisto, Taylor Raven as Diana/Jove as Diana, Eve Gigliotti as Juno, Craig Irvin as Jove, and a talented ensemble that brings this mythological world to life.

Don't miss your chance to be part of this myth, mystery, and adventure at The Glimmerglass Festival. Secure your tickets now for a summer filled with unforgettable opera experiences.

Alice Busch Opera Theater

Today’s recital, Monteverdi and His Venetian Legacy, is a journey through the rich musical heritage of Venetian composers from the late Renaissance to the Baroque, featuring works by Monteverdi, Cavalli and Vivaldi.

The Bellot Ensemble

Corn Exchange

Polish countertenor Jakub Józef Orliński has surged to the heights of the international classical music scene with ease, his vibrancy paving his path and setting him apart from the rest. Founded in 2012 by Giulio D’Alessio and Gesine Lübben, Il Pomo d’Oro swiftly established itself as an ensemble of outstanding quality. These powerful forces come together in stunning synchronicity in this Bing Concert Hall performance.

Jakub Józef Orliński with Il Pomo d’Oro

Stanford University

Opera Memphis proudly presents "La Calisto," a baroque masterpiece by Francesco Cavalli that explores themes of love, lust, vengeance, and astronomy. This captivating production is a highlight of our 2023-24 Season, showcasing the golden age of Venetian opera with a story that intertwines multiple Roman myths, challenging notions of gender and genre. 

**Event Details:**

- **Dates and Times:** 
  - Friday, March 22, 2024, at 7:30 pm
  - Saturday, March 23, 2024, at 7:30 pm

- **Venue:** Playhouse on the Square, 66 S Cooper St, Memphis, TN 38104

- **Language:** Performed in Italian with English Surtitles, making it accessible to all audiences.

**Special Features:**

- **Pre-Show Talks:** Enhance your evening by joining us for insightful pre-show discussions. Plan your visit to ensure you don't miss these engaging talks.

- **Digital Program:** Access the LA CALISTO DIGITAL PROGRAM LINK for an in-depth look at the opera, including cast details, synopsis, and more.

**Cast Highlights:**

- Conductor: Žak Ozmo
- Stage Director: Ned Canty
- Featuring: Angela Yam as Calisto, Stephanie Doche as Diana, Marcus King as Mercury, and many more talented artists.

**Audience Advisory:**
This production is intended for mature audiences. Please be advised that it includes heavy haze and some strobe light effects.

**Tickets:**
Don't miss your chance to experience this exuberant masterpiece. BUY SINGLE TICKETS now and secure your spot for an unforgettable night at the opera.

Join us for "La Calisto" and immerse yourself in the eternal battles of love versus lust and responsibility versus desire, all set against the backdrop of stunning music and dramatic storytelling.

Acronym

Central Park

La Calisto, first performed in 1651 in Venice, is the best known of Pier Francesco Cavalli’s 40+ operas and is an astonishing example of early Baroque opera. Based on a libretto by Giovanni Faustini, it’s a wild, bawdy romp through the libidinous underbelly of mythology. The first story is the Ovidian myth of Calisto, in which the nymph is seduced by Jupiter disguised as Diana (a gorgeous reminder that people have been exploring gender on stage, and in life, for hundreds of years). The second story is the myth of Endymion, whose love of Diana is secretly reciprocated by the chaste goddess. Decidedly unchaste complications ensue as gods, satyrs, nymphs, and fools twist and turn within a raucous, unraveling plot. La Calisto’s synergy of sublime music and extravagant emotion feels modern and fresh today - undeniably one of the greatest music-dramatic pieces in the operatic repertoire.

Abrons Arts Center

Counting historical instruments such as the theorbo and the lirone among their ranks, Le Poème Harmonique teases out the atmospheric and strange from even the most familiar of repertoire. This programme, which includes Allegri’s famous Miserere mei Deus, brings together works that were transformed from profane settings to the spiritual when rewritten and reinterpreted by the poets of the day.

Francesco Cavalli

Events

Upcoming events

Jun 1, 2026

Le Poème Harmonique: Allegri's Miserere · Barbican Centre

Past events

Jan 11, 2026

Iestyn Davies & Oliver Wass · Garsington Opera

Dec 16, 2025

Museum Concert: Ensemble Astrum And there was · Internationale Stiftung Mozarteum

About

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