Franco Fagioli

King Mitridate has left his empire in the care of his sons Sifare and Farnace while he is away at war. Deceived by a rumour of his father's death, Farnace declares his love to the King's betrothed, Aspasia. She seeks the protection of Sifare. Mitridate returns with Ismene as a bride for Farnace. When he hears of Farnace’s guilt, he determines to kill him. Will the ensuing intrigue of rivalry - in love and in politics - wind its way to a happy end?

Soprano Julia Lezhneva and countertenor Franco Fagioli present an exceptional evening. The programme features arias and duets by the great masters of the Baroque: Purcell, Corelli, Handel, Graun and Porpora, Haydn and Farinelli's Italian master, but also Handel's great rival. Passionate arias, high-pitched vocalises, virtuosity and sonic exuberance: A real treat!

The opera Polifemo composed by Nicola Porpora to a libretto by Paolo Rolli. Performed by the Opéra Royal du Château de Versailles. With Franco Fagioli - Acis ; Julia Lezhneva - Galatea ; Paul-Antoine Bénos-Djian - Ulisse ; José Coca Loza - Polifemo ; Éléonore Pancrazi - Calypso ; Académie de danse baroque de l’Opéra Royal Orchestre de l’Opéra Royal conducted by Stefan Plewniak. Recorded December 4 and 6, 2024

For his first appearance in the pit in Paris with his Artaserse ensemble, Philippe Jaroussky has chosen a masterpiece that he knows well, having sung the role of Sesto on numerous occasions, notably in the highly acclaimed Salzburg production alongside Cecilia Bartoli. As for the staging, we will welcome for the first time on Avenue Montaigne a Venetian who is used to the greatest European stages and who has undertaken his first Handel, Alcina, in the summer of 2019 in Salzburg with Ruggiero... Philippe Jaroussky. Everyone agrees on his ability to imagine delicate and highly effective dramaturgical worlds (his Barber of Seville for the Paris Opera is an irresistible visual translation of Rossini's frenzied score). His debut in opera seria with Alcina also showed his intelligence in giving coherence and emotion to the demanding arias da capo. On stage, a team familiar with the Théàtre des Champs-Elysées and this repertoire, led by a very fine trio of French women.

Every year, Bayreuth Baroque stages a new production directed by Max Emanuel Cencic, the artistic director and creative head of the festival. This year, he is staging the love drama Alessandro nell'Indie by Leonardo Vinci based on a libretto by Pietro Metastasio. Alessandro nell'Indie was published in Rome in 1730, where women were barred from performing for religious reasons. The Bayreuth production takes up this fact with an all-male cast featuring the Brazilian soprano Bruno de Sá and the countertenors Franco Fagioli and Jake Arditti in the leading roles. The orchestra is the Polish {OH!} Orkiestra Historyczna under the direction of Martyna Pastuszka. The Bayreuth Baroque Opera Festival stages music theater in the authentic ambience of the Margravial Opera House in Bayreuth.

Systematically overturning accepted morals, Elagabalus dresses men as women, and names women to the Senate, favours sinning servants and humiliates generals. Baroque and carnivalesque, Eliogabalo is not, however, an opera that advocates a return to order. Leonardo García Alarcón, a finder of baroque gems, and Thomas Jolly are careful not to transform Eliogabalo into a sublime icon who would abase virtue. On the contrary, the conductor and young director, who are presenting their first production for the Paris Opera, accept the character’s contradictions and ambiguities

Composed in 1707 in Rome, Handel's Il Trionfo del Tempo e del Disinganno is an oratorio in two parts with a libretto written by Cardinal Benedetto Pamphili. Staged by Krzysztof Warlikowski and conducted by Emmanuelle Haïm, this sublime performance was presented at the Aix-en-Provence Festival in 2016.

Heavenly Voices tells the story of the castrato phenomenon, and how the most gifted amongst these singers rose to international stardom. Max Emanuel Cencic and Philippe Jaroussky, two of today's singing stars, take us back in time and talk about operatic entertainment in the Baroque Age. This is illustrated by paintings and prints from the time as well as major performances of today. In this film, many countertenors are featured in famous roles and in interviews, amongst them Jochen Kowalski, Andreas Scholl, David Daniels, Daniel Behle and Valer Barna-Sabadus.

Aureliano in Palmira movie was released Oct 30, 2012 by the Bongiovanni studio. The Festival della Valle d'Itria mounted this lavish production of Gioachino Rossini's 1813 opera Aureliano in Palmira, in July 2011. Aureliano in Palmira movie It was staged and performed at the Palazzo Ducale, in Martina Franca, Italy. Aureliano in Palmira video The cast includes Bogdan Mihai as Aureliano, Franco Fagioli as Arsace, Maria Aleida as Zenobia and Asude Karayavuz as Publia, with the special participation of Louise Frank as Vecchia Zenobia. Aureliano in Palmira film The Orchestra Internazionale d'Italia and the Coro Slovacco di Bratislava provide additional musical accompaniment, with Pavol Prochazka serving as chorus master and Giacomo Sagripanti conducting. Aureliano in Palmira review Tiziano Santi designed the sets, Michelle Cantwell created the costumes, Nikos Nagousakos choreographs and Timothy Nelson directs for the stage.

Live broadcast of the opera performance held on November 10, 2012 at the Opéra national de Lorraine in Nancy, performed by five world-class countertenors.