Imeneo, March 2026

Cambridge Handel Opera Company, Festival Theatre, Cambridge Buddhist Centre

A rare staging of Handel’s Imeneo, his penultimate Italian Opera, which enjoyed a sell out run. Imeneo is a fascinating piece in Handel’s oeuvre in which he plays with the conventions of Opera Seria, and I sought to underline this aspect of the work with moments of comedy, parody and metatheatrical fun. The opera is a beautiful work with a simple plot that masks deeper complexities in the characters’ inner lives. This was explored psychologically in this production using picture frames, lighting, shadows, physical comedy, and a play between the ancient Greek setting of the original libretto, and the neoclassical Baroque setting that we updated the piece into.

*** To find out more, read my programme notes here ***

The production took place in the magical and almost entirely unknown Festival Theatre in Cambridge - a complete Georgian theatre with a fascinating history, now housed inside the Cambridge Buddhist Centre. We turned it back into a theatre for one week only, which was a special thrill. None of it would have been possible without the incredible help of the Cambridge Penguins.

Alongside the show I also ran a series of education workshops called “Opera Makers” which introduced all aspects of opera to teenagers who live in Cambridge, and then gave them the opportunity to take on multiple roles in the actual production. **I wrote an article about this in The Stage which you can read here.**

Direction: Guido Martin-Brandis; Set and Costume Design: Margaret Steinbach; Lighting Design: Trui Malten; Production Photographer: Craig Fuller.

Tirinto - Bethany Horak Hallett

Imeneo - Tim Nelson

Rosmene - Ellie Neate

Argenio - Trevor Eliot Bowes

Clomiri - Lisa Dafydd

Music Director - Julian Perkins

Reviews

The Guardian - Alexandra Coghlan

★★★★

“Handel in mischievous mood handled with wit and care”

“It’s exhilarating, often meta-theatrical stuff, and director Guido Martin-Brandis and the Cambridge Handel Opera Company capture all its knowing, self-referential charm in this delightful staging.

“With music director Julian Perkins conducting from the harpsichord – on stage along with his band – Martin-Brandis invites the musicians into the action. Characters make asides to them (and a double bass comments in its turn), when they’re not busy breaking the fourth wall with the help of Trui Malten’s articulate lighting design. A chair, a couple of gilded pictures frames and a pair of hats are the only props – used with endless invention, wit and care by a cast who balance Handel’s precise cocktail of artifice and sincerity beautifully.”

“…a superb cast: Neate’s Rosmene vibrant, growing in power through the immense final scene; Dafydd captivating and sweetly sung as the determined Clomiri. Horak-Hallett’s glossy mezzo was evenly matched with rival Nelson’s handsome baritone, leaving Bowes to turn the patriarch into an irrepressible comic turn. Handel’s operatic afterthought scrubs up well as the main event.”

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The Cambridge Independent

“This is a flawless production with a starry cast.”

“The production of a talented body of stage and design technicians offering a rare and not-to-be missed opportunity to experience Handel’s writing at his most mature.”

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The Stage

★★★★

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David Earl - Pianist and Composer

“Your work on Imeneo was immaculate - a superb production, and so visually beautiful.”