Alcina
Opera in 3 acts
Libretto by Antonio Fanzalia based on Orlando furioso by Ludovico Ariosto, arranged by Antonio Machi
First performed at Royal Theatre Covent Garden in London, April 16th 1735
The great sorceress Alcina attracts lost knights to her island and takes them as lovers before turning them into wild beasts, plants or rocks. Sincerely taken with her most recent prisoner, Ruggiero, she is challenged by Bradamante, Ruggiero’s betrothed who has come to save him disguised as a man.
Alcina Olga Peretyatko
Ruggiero Florin Cezar Ouatu
Morgana Sophie Graf
Bradamante Delphine Galou*
Oronte Juan Francisco Gatell*
Melisso Giovanni Furlanetto
Oberto Paolo Lopez*
Conductor Ottavio Dantone
Director Marco Santi*
Choreograph Marco Santi and dancers
Set designer Katrin Hieronimus*
Costume designer Katharina Beth*
Lighting designer Guido Petzold*
Video Kristian Breitenbach*
Chef de choeur Véronique Carrot
Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne
Tanzkompagnie des Theaters St. Gallen
Opéra de Lausanne choir
Production Opéra de Lausanne, coproduction with Theater St. Gallen.
SUNDAY 19 february 12, 5PM
wednesday 22 february 12, 7PM
friday 24 febrary 12, 8PM
SUNDAY 26 february 12, 5PM
Salle Métropole
Ticket price CHF 15.- to 135.-
*debut a the Opéra de Lausanne
Duration: about 3:05 interval included
Events around the production
Espace 2 programmes
Avant-Scène: Saturday 11 February, 7PM
Work to be broadcast in À l’Opéra: Saturday 24 March, 8PM
Forum Opéra Conference
Thursday 9 February, 6:45PM, place to be announced
Speaker: Adriano Giardina
Entrance fee: CHF 15.- / 12.-
Conference at Lausanne University
Friday 17 February, 5:15PM, Grange de Dorigny
"The solitude of the enchantress: Ariosto at the opera"
Speaker: Gabriele Bucchi (Lausanne University)
Free entrance.
The magic opera genre was popular with London audiences at the beginning of the eighteenth century. The love-struck sorceresses of Rinaldo (1711), Teseo (1713), Amadigi (1715) and Alcina (1735) were all great successes for Handel. Alcina, the third opera inspired by Arioste’s Orlando furioso, has stayed in the minds of music lovers thanks to the famous Decca recording of 1962, conducted by Richard Bonynge, who accompanied Joan Sutherland. The beauty of the airs of this partition has resisted the treatment imposed on the repertoire, a fact which shows the timelessness of this masterpiece, presented today by Ottavio Dantone.