The Musikfestspiele Potsdam Sanssouci are presenting a rarity this year: Giovanni Battista Bononcini’s opera “Cefalo e Procride” from 1702. Director Michiel Dijkema has staged the rediscovered work, and critics praise his simple, poetic touch.
The plot revolves around a test of fidelity that becomes dangerous for the couple. The trigger is the jealous goddess Aurora, who wants to separate the pair and win back her former lover Cefalo. The story thus recalls Mozart’s “Così fan tutte,” except that here, not a wise old man but a raging deity sets things in motion.
Bononcini’s opera was long forgotten and only rediscovered in recent years. With this production, the Musikfestspiele Potsdam Sanssouci have secured a stroke of luck: Dijkema’s simple aesthetic underscores the emotional depth of Baroque music without overburdening it.
The performances take place in Potsdam’s historic setting—a fitting backdrop for a work that explores fidelity, jealousy, and the power of the gods.
Source: www.tagesspiegel.de
