Misogyny and misinformation in a 21st-century Handel

Fuchs is renowned for her work in reimagining opera: her Death in Venice at Welsh National Opera, in which she employed a troupe of aerialists to breathtaking effect, has won just about every award going. Now she joins forces with Opera North in this, their fourth collaboration with Phoenix Dance Company, to refresh for a modern audience an 18th-century take on the biblical tale of Susanna and the Elders.

Nine dancers, choreographed by Marcus Jarrell Willis, give fluid, physical expression to Handel’s always beautiful yet tightly ordered music, so that it floats free from its moorings, taking us into another sublime dimension. They both embody the principal characters in the drama and comment upon the action, weaving in and out of the chorus, whose members are given stylised gestures that complement the choreography and further the storytelling.

Johanna Soller conducts a strong cast: soprano Anna Dennis is implacable as the wronged Susanna, singing with steely purity as she represents all women wronged by men; countertenor James Hall is vocally agile as her new husband, Joacim; always rewarding baritone Matthew Brook is her father, Chelsias, and bright soprano Claire Lees delights as Daniel, who obtains justice for Susanna. Tenor Colin Judson and subterranean bass Karl Huml are the hypocritical elders who prey upon Susanna. The show tours to Newcastle, Manchester and Nottingham next month. See and hear its sorrowful beauty.

A hungry sea monster, a marauding bear and a mountain that cracks open feature in another Handel gem, Giustino, which, perhaps understandably, given these fantastical requirements, has not been seen at Covent Garden since its first staging there in 1737. But after nearly 300 years, monster and bear are back in Joe Hill-Gibbins’s brilliantly imaginative new production at the Royal Opera’s Linbury theatre, driven by the breathtaking energy of La Nuova Musica, surely Britain’s most exciting baroque orchestra, conducted with total commitment by David Bates. If the plot is a little crazy, no matter: the wonderfully pungent playing and consistently high standard of singing make this an evening to treasure.

Two of the cast make impressive Royal Opera debuts in this tale of dominance, fidelity, betrayal and reconciliation. The Canadian soprano Mireille Asselin is a feline Empress Arianna, singing with fiery assurance as she desperately clings to power, while the mezzo-soprano Esme Bronwen-Smith is a sympathetic Leocasta, who falls for the hero Giustino.

Handel wrote the title role for castrato Domenico Annibali, making formidable vocal demands that present no obstacle to mezzo Polly Leech, who is in total command. Comparable artistry is on display from the soprano Keri Fuge as Emperor Anastasio, and countertenor Jake Arditti as the scheming Amanzio. Students from the Guildhall School provide an excellent chorus.

And the mountain, the bear and the sea monster? Well, we don’t see the mountain heave, but the bear and the monster do appear. Want to know how? Buy a ticket.

There’s just time to get to English National Opera’s enjoyably frantic new production of Rossini’s Cinderella (La Cenerentola), featuring Christopher Cowell’s fresh and sharply witty translation. Julia Burbach’s direction matches the score in its restless energy, with outrageous costumes by Sussie Juhlin-Wallén adding vibrant colour to Herbert Murauer’s sleek, modern design.

Making their ENO debuts are warm-toned Canadian mezzo-soprano Deepa Johnny as Cinderella and conductor Yi-Chen Lin, who sometimes drives the tempi to breaking point. Tenor Aaron Godfrey-Mayes makes a fine Ramiro, but the voice of the night belongs to Simon Bailey as the hapless Don Magnifico, who gives an object lesson in clear, high-velocity diction. If you can’t catch it now, you shall go to the ball, as this expensive production (which runs in repertory with the company’s evergreen Carmen) will surely be revived.

Susanna is at Leeds Grand theatre until 22 October, then touring until 21 November. Giustino is at Linbury theatre, Royal Opera House, London, until Saturday. Cinderella (La Cerenentola) is at Coliseum, London, until Tuesday

Photograph by Tristram Kenton