In September 2021 Laurence Cummings conducts his final performances as Artistic Director of the International Handel Festival Göttingen, after 10 years at the helm. The decade has seen Göttingen strengthen its position as one of the leading festivals dedicated to Handel, with Opera Magazine saying ““the Festspiel Orchester has reached a peak under the festival director Laurence Cummings”. Of their 2016 production Opera Now wrote “Laurence Cummings conducted with real energy and characteristic taste. Göttingen’s Imeneo was both a vocal, musical and theatrical triumph, and one that genuinely added to our sense of Handel’s range and theatrical imagination – which is why this important festival exists.” The period has also seen the release of more than 10 well-received live performances on CD by the record label Accent.
To close his tenure Laurence conducts a concert performance of Ariodante, a staged version of Rodelinda and gala performances with his predecessor Nicholas McGegan and successor George Petrou. The full listings for this year's festival can be found here.
The opening night of Rodelinda can also be watched on the website of the cultural channel Arte on Sep 9.
On his return to London, Laurence takes up the post of Music Director of the Academy of Ancient Music, and on September 28 he opens the season with Haydn’s The Creation at the Barbican Hall.
