Opera: Ariodante

Georg Frideric Handel Opera seria in three acts. Libretto based on Ginevra, principessa di Scozia by Antonio Salvi. First performed on 8 January 1735 at the Theatre Royal in Covent Garden, London. Princess Ginevra and her betrothed Prince Ariodante have it all: they are young, beautiful, in love and in line to inherit a prosperous kingdom. Even nature herself appears to celebrate their union. But this idyllic scene only stokes the jealous flames of rival suitors at the royal court. The ruthless Duke Polinesso plots to marry the princess so he can ascend the throne. He tricks Ginevra’s lady-in-waiting Dalinda, who is infatuated with him, into meeting him that night dressed as Ginevra, making it appear to Ariodante that his beloved princess is unfaithful. Handel premiered “Ariodante” in London in 1735 with the castrato Carestini and other contemporary stars of European opera seria. Although the story was inspired by an episode from “Orlando Furioso”, Ariosto’s epic tale of chivalry, the characters are not mythical or fantastical but deeply human, even if their passions border on the monstrous. The director Jetske Mijnssen takes this powerful psychological dimension as her starting point, transforming the court of the King of Scotland in Antonio Salvi's libretto into a single royal family consumed by secrecy and jealousy. Christopher Moulds, a leading specialist in Baroque music, conducts this gripping, claustrophobic drama in which gilded youth is slowly stripped of its luster by virtuoso vocals and sublime laments. In Italian, overtitld in French and German. Duration 3h30 with intervals. Age limit : from 12 years