Handel's Alessandro gets a rare revival at Bamberg's Hoffmann Theater with Junge Deutsche Philharmonie

Main auditorium at the ETA Hoffmann Theater, Bamberg

As part of our recent holiday in Bavaria, we spent a few days in Bamberg and whilst the town is best known for its superb old town, there are other delights too. ETA Hoffmann lived and worked in the town, his house is now a museum, and the theatre named for him, ETA Hoffmann Theater, originated in the early 19th century theatre where he worked. Originally named the Bamberg Theatre, it opened in 1802 and was one of the first theatres to have its own permanent ensemble. ETA Hoffmann worked at the theatre from 1808 and until 1813.

On 29 September 2022, a new production of Handel's Alessandro opens at the ETA Hoffmann Theater in Bamberg. A co-production between the theatre and the Junge Deutsche Philharmonie, the Frankfurt-based youth orchestra made up of conservatory students up to the age of 28. The production is directed by Sybille Brolle-Pape and conducted by Gottfried von der Goltz, with a cast made up of students from music conservatoires.

Handel wrote Alessandro in 1725, basing it on a fictitious episode in the great general's life and the work featured the great castrato Senesino in the title role and the sopranos Francesca Cuzzoni and Faustina Bordoni as the leading ladies competing for Alessandro's interest. The opera only makes rare appearances in the theatre; London Handel Festival staged it in 2009

Full details from the Junge Deutsche Philharmonie's website, and that of the theatre