“Joseph's heart swelled with veneration, with love for the Master. His ear drank in the fugue; it seemed to him that he was hearing music for the first time in his life. Behind the music being created in his presence he sensed the world of Mind, the joy-giving harmony of law and freedom, of service and rule. He surrendered himself, and vowed to serve that world and this Master.” (The Glass Bead Game by Hermann Hesse)

At The Glass Bead Game concert the Novaya Opera’s soloists and orchestra musicians perform arias and duets from Handel’s Giulio Cesare in Egitto, Apollo e Dafne, Rinaldo and Alcina. These are followed by an extract from Monteverdi’s L'incoronazione di Poppea, which is considered the first ever opera based on the true historical facts. The programme also includes rarely performed arias from Vivaldi’s Tito Manlio where numerous and muddled love relationships clash with what honour and duty demand. Apart from the famous and forgotten operas, there are excerpts from Handel’s works in different genres. The Hercules musical drama centers around ferocious customs, love, jealousy and rivalry, while a short part of Il trionfo del Tempo e del Disinganno plays out the dispute of four allegorical characters – Beauty, Pleasure, Time and Disillusion. The concert also comprises works by English composer Henry Purcell.