Aix-en-Provence Festival 2016Händel: Il Trionfo del tempo e del Disinganno

The „Il Trionfo del Tempo e del Disinganno" plot couldn’t be simpler: Time and Disillusion try to convince Beauty to abandon Pleasure for less fleeting gratifications. Krzysztof Warlikowski has taken Handel’s first oratorio, written when he was just 22, on in a deep, tender staging. With Emmanuelle Haïm drawing exuberant playing from her ensemble Le Concert d’Astrée, this is as good as opera gets. Sabine Devieilhe is unquestionably the star that carries the show here, always impressive in technique, range and timbre. Her sparring and harmonising with Franco Fagioli's countertenor Pleasure is magnificent, the two making an attractive team.