Organization

Buxton International Festival

Conductor

Christian Curnyn

Early Opera Company

Orchestra

Buxton Festival Orchestra

Stage director

Jacopo Spirei

Set designer

Anna Bonomelli

Singer

Soprano

Anna Dennis

Beauty

Hilary Cronin

Piacere

Contralto

Hilary Summers

Deceit

Tenor

Jorge Navarro Colorado

Time

Italian

Il Trionfo del Tempo e del Disinganno

Buxton

United Kingdom

Buxton Opera House

Handel’s Il Trionfo del Tempo e del Disinganno: Il Trionfo del Tempo e del Disinganno Händel

Public

Private

The Triumph of Time and Truth

English

Approved

Handel is known for bringing emotion to life, for dazzling vocal fireworks and epic drama, and this oratorio is no exception.  Composed in the spring of 1707, it sees him at his most confident, combining rousing choruses, beguiling arias, and colourful orchestral writing.

The story is full of hidden meaning and moral stance, with the characters of Pleasure, Time and Disillusion taking on human form to battle for the soul of Beauty.  Vain Beauty initially commits herself to a hedonistic lifestyle, but Time and Disillusion cannot be ignored for long. As she wrestles with temptation, she must face the inevitability of her own demise and decide whether she can find greater contentment on a more virtuous path.

This production sees Christian Curnyn, one of the UK’s leading conductors specialising in baroque repertoire, returning to Buxton with the award-winning Early Opera Company, following their triumphant Acis and Galatea in 2021. He leads a world-class cast, featuring rising star Hilary Cronin in the role of ‘Piacere’.

Director Jacopo Spirei has a great affinity for baroque music. Since La donna del lago (Buxton 2023) he has had directed productions in Lisbon, Parma and Barcelona.

Libretto by Cardinal Benedetto Pamphili.  Sung in Italian with English surtitles.

Il Trionfo del Tempo e del Disinganno by Händel, From (2024/2024), Directed by Jacopo Spirei,, Conductor Christian Curnyn, Buxton Opera House, Buxton, United Kingdom

Performance credits (Cast & Crew )

Cast

Crew

Ensemble

Co-Producer

Program, About & Synopsis

Photos

Further reading

Performance Dates & Venues

Venues