Cavalli in Bayreuth: Flores & García-Alarcón

Mariana Flores and Leonardo García Alarcón bring Cavalli’s operatic gems to life in a refined Baroque recital from Bayreuth.

At the Bayreuth Baroque Opera Festival, soprano Mariana Flores, one of today’s leading interpreters of early music, presents a finely crafted recital dedicated to Francesco Cavalli, a central figure of 17th-century Venetian opera. Recorded at the historic Ordenskirche St. George in September 2025, this programme offers a rare immersion into a repertoire that combines dramatic intensity with refined musical expression.

The concert brings together a selection of arias and instrumental pieces drawn from Cavalli’s major works, including Le nozze di Teti e di Peleo, Egisto, L’Ormindo, Doriclea and Giasone. These operas, which contributed to shaping the early public opera scene in Venice, reveal Cavalli’s gift for expressive melody and theatrical immediacy.

Mariana Flores’ nuanced and luminous voice captures the emotional richness of this repertoire, balancing virtuosity with intimacy. She is joined by Cappella Mediterranea, under the direction of Leonardo García Alarcón, whose work has been widely recognised for its stylistic insight and dynamic approach to Baroque performance. Together, they bring clarity, colour and rhythmic vitality to this music, highlighting its enduring dramatic power.

Presented within the context of the Bayreuth Baroque Opera Festival, an event dedicated to historically informed performances in one of Germany’s most distinctive Baroque venues, this concert stands as both a tribute to Cavalli’s legacy and a vivid showcase of today’s leading artists in early opera.

Genre Live Show
Production year 2025
Recording location Bayreuth Baroque Opera Festival
Duration 1h20
Musical style Classical
Conductor Leonardo García Alarcón
Soloist Mariana Flores