Flavio

An imaginative and lively production of Handel’s gender-bending Flavio. Set in a mythical past, it fancifully blends tragedy with satirical comedy, and it has more plot twists than even Mozart could dream up.

The sets are wonderfully whimsical, with houses that fold up like origami, hedges that pop out of nowhere, and shrubbery that literally bows. These, combined with brightly colored costumes, underline the contagious vivacity of the score. As Flavio, David Walker’s rich-toned countertenor is "elegant," declares Newsday, "and his spot-on comic timing well suits the foppish and lusty King."

Has any composer before–or since–Handel found such freedom in such strict form? Through arias both fanciful and introspective, grand and subtle, and an unusual bounty of opulent duets, he draws characters who tug at our heartstrings. With exceptional variety, in one of his most intimate scores, Handel explores the timeless conflicts between love, honor, duty, and politics.

Sung in Italian with English supertitles