In March 2019, the Gran Teatre del Liceu presented Rodelinda by George Frideric Handel for the first time in its history, under the musical direction of Josep Pons. First performed in 1725 at London’s King’s Theatre, the opera is one of the major works from Handel’s British period and a landmark of the Baroque repertoire.
The production, directed by Claus Guth, arrived at the Liceu as a co-production with the Teatro Real, the Opéra de Lyon and Oper Frankfurt. Guth offered a contemporary psychological reading of the work, focusing on family, power and conjugal loyalty, with a visually striking staging. The sets and costumes by Christian Schmidt, lighting by Joachim Klein and video design by Andi A. Müller transformed the stage into a fragmented symbolic house, also seen through the eyes of the young Flavio.
The cast was led by Lisette Oropesa as Rodelinda and Bejun Mehta as Bertarido, alongside Joel Prieto (Grimoaldo), Sasha Cooke (Eduige), Gerald Thompson (Unulfo), Gianluca Margheri (Garibaldo) and Fabián Augusto Gómez as Flavio. The performances featured the Gran Teatre del Liceu Symphony Orchestra, in an interpretation that required transparency, stylistic flexibility and close attention to vocal phrasing.
With this production, Josep Pons expanded the repertoire developed with the Liceu’s musical forces and reaffirmed the theatre’s commitment to bringing major Baroque works to the stage through internationally acclaimed productions. Rodelinda thus became one of the season’s most distinctive milestones, both for its musical value and for introducing one of Handel’s most admired operas to the Liceu.