The theme of this year's Handel Festival was “Laurels”. The focus was on accolades, fame, glory, power, and splendour, as well as the darker sides involved. The Italian director Rosetta Cucchi staged these themes compellingly in the Festival Opera “Tamerlano”. “Behold, to mock the dark night, the signs of the bright day are painted in the sky”, intones the final chorus. Music Director George Petrou gracefully lets the piece fade away, achieving this even without orchestral accompaniment. The Neue Musikzeitung ran the headline “A Musical Hour of Glory” and lauded Juan Sancho's “tenor fire” as Bajazet in particular.
There were standing ovations for the opening oratorio, “Solomon”, with Lena Sutor-Wernich in the title role. The Gala Concert, featuring the Swedish vocalist Ann Hallenberg, has been lauded for its “exhilarating musical moments”, as noted by the Göttinger Tageblatt. In addition to the esteemed FestspielOrchester Göttingen and its Musical Director, George Petrou - who presented himself to the Göttingen audience as a pianist during a lunch concert - his predecessor, Nicholas McGegan, was celebrated at his birthday concert. Beyond the exceptional operatic performances and vocal talent, the festival's more intimate concert formats contributed to its distinctive character.
On Friday, September 5, an open-air screening of the Festival Opera “Tamerlano” will be shown at the Freibad (outdoor pool) on Brauweg. Additionally, select content will be available free of charge on the Handel Channel at https://www.haendel-channel.de/de/. You can also experience the Handel Festival on the radio. NDR Kultur will broadcast three concert recordings from the festival in June: “Solomon” (June 13, 8 pm), the Prizewinners' Concert of the göttingen händel competition with La Mandorle (June 15, 9:30 pm) and “Congrats, Nic McGegan!” (June 29, 1 pm). The next Göttingen International Handel Festival will take place from May 14 to 25, 2026. Public advance ticket sales for select events will begin on November 28, 2025.
