LA LIBERAZIONE DI RUGGIERO DALL’ISOLA D’ALCINA

La Liberazione di Ruggiero dall’isola d’Alcina is also the first to evoke the character of the poisonous Alcina and her spells. The libretto by court poet Ferdinando Saracinelli features poems that were famous in their day by Ariosto (Orlando Furioso), Boiardo and Tasso, blending the chivalrous and the marvellous.

On an enchanted island, the knight Ruggiero finds himself torn between two women magicians. He is seduced by the beautiful and dangerous Alcina before being reminded of his duty by the good fairy Melissa – representing the Grand Duchess of Tuscany who commissioned the opera in 1625 to celebrate the visit of the Crown Prince of Poland to whom she wished to marry her daughter.

Composer Francesca Caccini (1587-approx.1641) was an exemplary figure in the musical blossoming of the first half of the Italian 17^th century. Her graceful art flourished at the court of the Medicis in Florence, where she delighted her contemporaries and was admired for her many musical talents, particularly her singing concerts where she accompanied herself on the lute. Her refined writing enlivens this supernatural story with a blend of melodious arias, character-revealing recitatives and choruses of monsters and enchanted plants.

At the head of his ensemble, I Gemelli, which he founded with Mathilde Etienne, Emiliano Gonzalez Toro directs a cast and musicians well-versed in this repertoire, paying tribute to the beauty of this music, our Baroque offering for the season.

After the concert, the I Gemelli ensemble will be signing CDs in the Opera’s main hall.