Improbable as the revival of Handel operas might have seemed 30 years ago, many of them are now regularly programmed internationally. From being the province of early-music specialists, the fortunate Handelian few have escaped shelf-confinement into the broader repertory.
Donald Pippin has recently made Handel opera a bit of a subspecialty at his Pocket Opera and the reason must be obvious: No genre of opera so cries out for clarification (not to mention a bit of teasing) as Baroque heroic opera. So if you like Handel’s music, but are a bit bewildered by the comings and goings and doings of kings, princesses, generals, and others in the librettos, then this weekend’s performances of Teseo, with Pippin doing commentary and presentation and reliable Pocket Opera singers performing the music, are for you.