Niobe, Regina di Tebe, Royal Opera | reviews, news & interviews
Niobe, Regina di Tebe, Royal Opera
Niobe, Regina di Tebe, Royal Opera
Agostino Steffani's baroque obscurity is an unmissable operatic revelation
![](https://theartsdesk.com/sites/default/files/styles/mast_image_landscape/public/mastimages/37351273f99ebc95d8a67f9681855cd2.jpg?itok=ERM_d4lL)
One after the other they came. Stunning aria after stunning aria. Affecting in their harmonies, infectious in their rhythms, arresting in their textures, vivid in their melodies. The Royal Opera had taken a mighty gamble with Agostino Steffani's 300-year-old Niobe, Regina di Tebe, a forgotten opera by a forgotten composer. But they were completely right to do so. For Niobe is a masterpiece. And last night's performance was a triumph.
One after the other they came. Stunning aria after stunning aria. Affecting in their harmonies, infectious in their rhythms, arresting in their textures, vivid in their melodies. The Royal Opera had taken a mighty gamble with Agostino Steffani's 300-year-old Niobe, Regina di Tebe, a forgotten opera by a forgotten composer. But they were completely right to do so. For Niobe is a masterpiece. And last night's performance was a triumph.
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