Festival

Bayreuth Baroque Opera Festival : July 24 - August 26

In autumn 2026 the Bayreuth Baroque Opera Festival will present its seventh edition with a thoughtfully curated programme, spanning a broad historical and musical spectrum. Presiding over this year’s festival as its musical patron is none other than George Frideric Handel: on 4 September a new production of his far too rarely performed opera Floridante will celebrate its premiere. First staged in London in 1721, this opera seria centres on two young women – Elmira and Rossane – who challenge patriarchal power structures in pursuit of their love. The festival’s Artistic Director, Max Emanuel Cencic, will not only appear in the title role but will also bring this psychologically compelling work to the stage with imagination and dramatic flair.

The six performances of Floridante will be complemented by a diverse concert programme featuring both established stars and exciting newcomers, set in and around the magnificent surroundings of the Margravial Opera House. Christophe Dumeaux (Handel’s Nature), as well as Emöke Baráth and Andreas Scholl (Caesar Meets Rodelinda), will draw on the inexhaustible emotional power of Handel’s London operas. Further concerts will take audiences on an entertaining yet profound journey through 17th- and 18th-century Europe. Against the historic dreamlike backdrop of the city of Bayreuth distinguished artists such as Maximiliano Danta (Chaos and Order), Julia Lezhneva (Suitcase Arias), the three sopranists Federico Fiorio, Maayan Licht and Dennis Orellana (The Sopranos), as well as the young tenor Petr Nekoranec (Viaggio in Europa) will demonstrate the richness, versatility and enduring relevance of Baroque music.

Full program here