Alcina by Georg Friedrich Haendel

One of the most beautiful operas by Haendel, as it marvelously combines an admirable melodic richness and an undeniable dramatic tension.

Dramma per musica in three acts
Libretto by Antonio Fanzaglia after Orlando Furioso by Ludovico Ariosto, arranged by Antonio Marchi
Stage Set by Stefano Poda
Music direction by Diego Fasolis

In the spring of 1735, Haendel was in conflict with his rival company and on the verge of bankruptcy. Taking as his libretto Ariosto's fashionable novel of chivalry, teeming with marvelous episodes, the composer surprised everyone and thereby ensured the resounding success of his opera. Never better than in Alcina has Handel succeeded in giving humanity to his characters, especially in their respective suffering in love.The beauty of the arias in this score has withstood the treatment imposed on this repertoire at the time: the mark of a timeless masterpiece, restored today by Diego Fasolis with the help of a great cast composed of Lenneke Ruiten, Franco Fiagioli and Marina Viotti.