Admeto

German filmmaker, producer, and author Doris Dörrie staged this vividly colored, highly stylized production of George Frideric Handel’s three-act opera Admeto, re di Tessaglia, transposing the original Greek setting to the world of Japanese samurai and Butoh dance. (The storyline is based on that of Euripides’ Alcestis.) Butoh provides the production with its underlying motif, offering the characters greater dimension, mystery, and occasional irony. Bay Area early music fans will especially appreciate the performance conducted by Nicholas McGegan with players David Tayler (archlute) and Hanneke van Proosdij (harpsichord).