Overview

• Dmitri Tcherniakov makes his baroque debut by stripping Handel’s drama of period trappings and staging it in a stark concrete bunker to expose raw emotional extremes
• Hall sirens and shelter banners invoke President Donald Tusk’s warning of a future Russian attack, superimposing modern war anxieties onto the baroque narrative
• Emmanuelle Haïm drives Le Concert d’Astrée with breakneck tempi and muscular orchestral cohesion that earned acclaim for its kinetic intensity
• Christophe Dumaux’s Cesare stands out for near-perfect timing, flexibility and articulation, providing a vocal anchor amid the production’s austere design
• Critics argue the monochromatic realism mutes Handel’s inherent warmth, wit and charm, leaving a diffuse tone over the four-hour performance