Handel's 'Ottone' Returns to Frankfurt in a Lush but Muted Staging

Frankfurt Opera opened its 2026-27 season with Handel's "Ottone," a new production directed by Jetske Mijnssen and conducted by Baroque specialist Václav Luks. The opera was a massive box-office hit in its day and served as the vehicle for legendary soprano Francesca Cuzzoni's London debut. Today it rarely receives the stage share awarded to "Giulio Cesare" or "Alcina." The Frankfurt evening demonstrated plenty of visual finesse but, according to the review, left a slightly muted theatrical experience.

How Does Mijnssen Reframe the Drama?

The production's primary artistic choice stages a grand dynastic drama as an interior noble family conflict. The monarchy marriage, battles, and escapes of the original libretto are all set within rich Baroque rooms of high social class. The period costumes are lush, the transitions creative, and the choreography, in the reviewer's words, "brings enormous joy to the audience." Compared with the darker gothic production staged earlier this year at the Magdeburg Telemann Festival, this staging adds an unmistakable layer of formal etiquette.

The major reservation is that this domestic approach flattens the opera's dramatic contrasts. By locking the action indoors, the friction between private courtly whispers and physical conflicts in wider landscapes outside fades away. The title role also loses heroic stature: Ottone appears less like a forgiving ruler and more like another well-to-do youth with easy access to luxury. Without that moral height, the ultimate pardon at the end feels unearned.

Some dramaturgy choices blur narrative logic. In the opening scene, Adelberto wins Teofane's heart by simply swapping clothes with the co-present Ottone right on stage. The black-clad Catholic solemn aesthetic of the ending aligns visually with Baroque religious rituals but does not fit the joyful, forgiving mood of Handel's closing chorus.

Who Stood Out in the Cast?

• Yuriy Mynenko (Ottone): the countertenor sang with remarkable flexibility, projected effortlessly, and showed stunning crescendos in his signature arias, though he lacks a penetrating tone.
• Monika Buczkowska-Ward (Teofane): the evening's star, who built a genuinely full character and turned the opera's most famous aria, "Falsa immagine," into a convincing portrait of despair.
• Iurii Iushkevich (Adelberto): a vivid portrayal of aristocratic arrogance, sung with high technical refinement.
• Cecelia Hall (Matilda): the portrayal felt closest to the original libretto, making Matilda's struggle real and evoking sympathy.
• Paula Murrihy (Gismonda): solid singing, though the character felt somewhat one-dimensional; the Act two closing duet with Matilda lacked needed spark under cautious tempos.
• Jonas Müller (Emireno): a grounded, steady performance despite the small role and Baroque identity-swap tropes.

The dancers delivered a memorable, visually gorgeous performance, restrained in its proportions. In the first half, the bustling ensemble dancing heightened Teofane's sense of alienation, giving prominence to sections rarely present in Handel's scores compared with French Baroque counterparts.

What Does the Orchestra Deliver?

In the pit, Luks conducted graceful playing from the Frankfurt Opern- und Museumsorchester. Most lyrical arias received high artistic refinement. However, quite a few fast-tempo arias stayed in a safe tempo zone, and the basso continuo played too flat throughout, failing to enlighten most of the recitatives.

The reviewer's verdict: this "Ottone" is a well-crafted production that deserves credit for advancing a lesser-known Handel opera, yet it largely ends up muting the grand opera's theatrical pulse. It gives plenty of visual elegance to admire, but not quite enough to resonate — a verdict that will test whether Frankfurt's continuing collaboration with Luks can pair polish with dramatic voltage.