Boston Early Music Festival Presents: BEMF Orchestra & Soloists

A Grand Celebration: Music from Desmarest’s Circé and Handel’s Almira

We open our weeklong Celebration of Women with a grand program of music written for the opera stage! The evening begins with the complete prologue of Desmarest’s Circé—thirty minutes of delicious airs, dances, and choruses! The allegorical prologue in French opera, an elaborate spectacle praising the king, was ultimately dropped from the performing tradition, but Circé’s is too good to pass over. This exceptional musical morsel is paired with a selection of truly stunning arias and dances from Handel’s first opera, Almira, both featuring dancers and singers from the Festival’s opera productions. Don’t miss this stunning collection of operatic masterworks led by GRAMMY-winners Paul O’Dette and Stephen Stubbs!