Purcell: The Fairy Queen

Sunday, 13 July 2025, 8 pm, Neue Aula of Heidelberg University, Universitätsplatz

This summer, the Capella Carolina Grand Choir brought Henry Purcell's The Fairy Queen to the stage - a magical combination of choral music and theatre, inspired by Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. "Are you sure that we are awake? It seems to me that yet we sleep, we dream", says Shakespeare's famous comedy - and it is precisely this dreamlike interplay between reality and fantasy that was brought to life in the performance. To give the imagination a little boost, visual representations accompanied the action.

Vocal soloists

Our four vocal soloists lend Purcell's The Fairy Queen tonal depth and stylistic variety. Sonja Grevenbrock inspires with her soft, agile soprano and can be heard regularly at major opera houses such as the Staatstheater Darmstadt. The Dutch countertenor Joël Vuik, who stepped in at short notice for Nils Wanderer, who was ill, is a versatile personality on the international opera scene who is convincing in both the historical and contemporary repertoire. Fabian Kelly is a sought-after evangelist and performs with leading baroque orchestras throughout Europe. Josua Bernbeck impresses with his clear baritone voice and has recently performed at opera houses in Wiesbaden, Giessen and Regensburg. Together they form the vocal centre of this fairytale production.

Karlsruher Barockorchester

The Karlsruhe Baroque Orchestra, which has specialised in historical instruments since 1998, is an established orchestra with a broad repertoire ranging from Monteverdi to Brahms. It provided the authentic musical framework for the performance of Purcell's The Fairy Queen.

Dance and production

The dancer María Dolores Vizcaíno Arreciado lent Purcell's The Fairy Queen a physical and poetic dimension and made the music visible in movement. Joachim Bürkert designed the scenic set and created projections that merged space, light and fantasy. He was also responsible for the dramaturgical concept, with which he brought the individual elements of the performance together in terms of content and expanded and deepened the musical events. He was supported by Andreas Weber-Schäfer.