Accademia Bizantina in Belgium, Netherlands, France
Throughout the month of January, Accademia Bizantina is engaged in a long and important tour that starts in Utrecht, Belgium, on January 12, but will take place mainly in the Netherlands, in Amsterdam and other cities, to end with a stop in France, in Paris, on January 30.
At the core of the tour, Accademia Bizantina’s new project: Agrippina by G.F. Händel. The “prize-winning Baroque orchestra” conducted by Ottavio Dantone will perform it at the Amsterdam Opera House, together with an internationally renowned cast, directed by Barrie Kosky.
It is a new production by the Dutch National Opera in coproduction with the Bayerische Staatsoper (Munich), the Royal Opera House (London), and the Hamburgische Staatsoper (Hamburg). The musical direction is in the hands of “Händel specialist” Ottavio Dantone, who will be making his debut as a conductor at Dutch National Opera, and Accademia Bizantina will be taking their seats in the orchestra pit.
Agrippina contains some of Händel's most famous arias and had great success already at the time of its creation (1709). “This work has sensuality and power” says stage director Barrie Kosky, “the most thrilling ingredients you could want from an opera”.
The premiere is on January 13, the following performances are scheduled on the 15th, 17th, 21st, 24th, 26th, and 28th.
Accademia Bizantina’s tour includes a series of concerts, in which the orchestra will present a programme entirely dedicated to Vivaldi: some concerts from "L'Estro Armonico" and the very famous "Quattro stagioni”. Violin soloist will be the concertmaster Alessandro Tampieri, whose interpretation of this repertoire has already positively surprised and widely conquered the public and critics.
The first date is the opening of the tour, on January 12, at deSingel in Antwerp, Belgium. The following concerts will take place in other prestigious halls and theatres in the Netherlands: De Harmonie in Leeuwarden (January 14), Concertgebouw De Vereeniging in Nijmegen (the 19th), TivoliVredenburg in Utrecht (the 23rd), Muziekgebouw Frits Philips in Eindhoven (the 25th).
Lastly, after the Netherlands, the long tour with which Accademia Bizantina opens the year 2024 will end in France. On January 30, Accademia Bizantina conducted by Ottavio Dantone will perform Agrippina by G.F. Händel in concert form in Paris, in the charming location of La Seine Musicale.
Accademia Bizantina’s activities in the Netherlands are made with the co-operation and support of the Italian Cultural Institute in Amsterdam. The tour has also the support of Emilia-Romagna Region and ATER Fondazione.