Handel's TOLOMEO to be Presented by Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra & Chorale
Tolomeo is first presented Thursday, July 23 at 7:30 PM at San Francisco's Herbst Theatre and Friday, July 24 at 7:30 PM at Berkeley's First Congregational Church.
Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra & Chorale is launching a new chapter in its artistic history with a semi-staged production of Handel's Tolomeo. The performances mark the opening of Music Director Peter Whelan's inaugural season at the helm of the organization and showcase Philharmonia's continued commitment to historically informed performances brought vividly to life through theatrical storytelling.
Tolomeo is presented Thursday, July 23 at 7:30 PM at San Francisco's Herbst Theatre and Friday, July 24 at 7:30 PM at Berkeley's First Congregational Church. The production will then head east to the Caramoor Center in New York on Sunday, July 26. Tickets for Bay Area performances range in price from $40-$170 and are on-sale now.
Directed by acclaimed stage director James Darrah Black and conducted by Peter Whelan, Tolomeo features an internationally celebrated cast led by countertenor Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen in the title role. He is joined by soprano Lauren Snouffer as Seleuce, soprano Nicole Heaston as Elisa, countertenor Kangmin Justin Kim as Alessandro, and bass-baritone Dashon Burton as Araspe.
Tolomeo explores themes of power, identity, loyalty, and enduring love through one of Handel's most emotionally charged scores. Stripped of power and living in exile under an assumed identity, Tolomeo must navigate betrayal and shifting loyalties as the political order collapses around him. Sung in Italian with English supertitles, the semi-staged production incorporates period instruments with theatrical direction and movement, offering an immersive operatic experience that transports audiences back to the Baroque sound world that its first audiences would have heard.
Composed in 1728, Tolomeo is widely regarded as one of Handel’s most beautiful and rarely heard operas, combining virtuosic vocal writing with profound emotional storytelling. The work has garnered acclaim for its dramatic depth, psychological complexity, and richly expressive score.
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