Ottone was a great success for Handel in his lifetime, and the ravishing beauty of its music and exciting, dynamic plot shows us why. The consistently high production values of English Touring Opera, who make opera always beautiful but relevantly so, without facile aestheticism, breathe glorious life into Ottone, with a wonderful set, stunning costumes (particularly for Teofane) and fabulous singing – it may sound a trite list, but this production really has all three. James Conway directs with sensitive skill, picking out the raw human feelings and tortured family dynamics with unerring accuracy.

Click here to read my full review on Bachtrack.

L-R: Louise Kémeny, Gillian Webster, Rosie Aldridge, Andrew Radley, Grant Doyle and Clint van der Linde. Photography by Richard Hubert Smith