| Operas by George Frideric Handel |
|---|
 Almira (1705) |
Alcina (HWV 34) is an opera seria by George Frideric Händel. Almira Königin von Castilien or Der in Krohnen erlangte Glückswechsel (HWV 1 is George Frideric Handel 's first Opera. Der beglückte Florindo (HWV 3 is an Opera composed by Handel and was ordered by Reinhard Keiser, the manager of the Hamburg Opera at that time Rodrigo is an Opera in three acts composed by George Frideric Handel. Agrippina (HMV 6 is an Opera seria in three acts by George Frideric Handel, set to a Libretto by Cardinal Vincenzo Grimani Rinaldo ( HWV 7 is an Italian Opera by George Frideric Handel, now a part of the standard operatic repertoire Il pastor fido is an Opera in three acts by George Frideric Handel. For the missile see Teseo. Teseo (or ' Theseus ' is an Opera seria with music by George Frideric Handel, the only Amadigi di Gaula is an opera with music by George Frideric Handel. For the Lully opera please see Acis et Galatée. Acis and Galatea ( HWV 49 was originally a Masque composed by George Frideric Radamisto (HWV 12a/12b is an Opera in three acts by George Frideric Handel to an Italian Libretto by Nicola Francesco Haym Muzio Scevola (Mucius Scaevola is an Opera in three acts The Italian -language Libretto was by Paolo Antonio Rolli, adapted from Floridante (HWV 14 is an Opera seria in three acts by George Frideric Handel. Ottone re di Germania ( Otto King of Germany) is an Opera by George Frideric Handel, to an Italian-language libretto adapted by Nicola Haym Flavio re di Longobardi ( Flavio King of the Lombards) is an Opera in three acts by George Frideric Handel. Giulio Cesare in Egitto ( Julius Caesar in Egypt) (HWV 17 is an Italian Opera in three acts by George Frideric Handel. Tamerlano ( Tamerlane) (HWV 18 is an Opera in three acts with music by George Frideric Handel to an Italian text by Rodelinda regina de' Longobardi (HWV 19 is an Opera seria in three acts by George Frideric Handel. Scipione is an Opera in three acts with music composed by George Frideric Handel for the Royal Academy of Music in 1726 Alessandro ( Alexander the Great) is an Opera composed by George Frideric Handel in 1726 Admeto re di Tessaglia ( Admetus King of Thessaly) is a three-act Opera with music composed by George Frideric Handel to an Italian Riccardo Primo re d’Inghilterra (or Richard the First King of England) is an Opera in three acts by George Frideric Handel. Siroe re di Persia (or Siroes King of Persia) is an Opera in three acts by George Frideric Handel. Tolomeo re di Egitto ( Ptolemy King of Egypt) (HWV 25 is an Opera in three acts by George Frideric Handel to an Italian text by Lotario ( Lothair) (HWV 26 is an Opera seria in three acts by George Frideric Handel. For other uses see Parthenope Partenope is an Opera by George Frideric Handel composed in 1730 with an Italian Poro re dell'Indie (or Porus King of the Indians) (HWV 28 is an Opera seria in three acts by George Frideric Handel. Ezio ( Aetius) is an Opera by George Frideric Handel. It was his last opera based on a Libretto by Pietro Metastasio. Sosarme re di Media ( Sosarmes King of Media) is an Opera by George Frideric Handel. Orlando (HWV 31 is an Opera seria in three acts by George Frideric Handel. Arianna in Creta ( Ariadne in Crete) (HWV 32 is an Opera seria in three acts by George Frideric Handel. Oreste ( Orestes) (HG 48/102 HWV A11 is an opera by George Frideric Handel in three acts. For the opera by Étienne Méhul, see Ariodant. Ariodante ( HWV 33 is an Opera seria in three acts by Handel Atalanta is an Opera in three acts by George Frideric Handel composed in 1736 Arminio ( HWV 36 is an Opera composed by Georg Friedrich Händel. Giustino (or Justin) is an Opera in three acts by George Frideric Handel. Berenice regina d'Egitto ( Berenice Queen of Egypt) (HWV 38 is an Opera in three acts by George Frideric Handel to an Italian text Alessandro Severo ( Alexander Severus) is an Opera by George Frideric Handel composed in 1738 Faramondo ( Pharamond) (HWV 39 is an Opera in three acts by George Frideric Handel to an Italian text adapted from Apostolo Zeno Serse ( Xerxes) ( HWV 40 is an Opera seria by George Frideric Handel. Giove in Argo (or Jupiter in Argos) ( HWV A14 is an Italian Opera by George Frideric Handel. Imeneo ( Hymen) (HWV 41 is an Opera seria in three acts by George Frideric Handel. Deidamia (HWV 42 was George Frideric Handel 's last Opera. The Italian text was by Paolo Antonio Rolli. Semele ( HWV 58 is an opera or oratorio in three acts by George Frideric Handel. Opera seria (usually called dramma per musica or Melodramma serio) is an Italian musical term which refers to the noble and "serious" The libretto's author is unknown, but the plot is taken (like those of the Händel operas Orlando and Ariodante) from Ludovico Ariosto's Orlando furioso, an epic poem set in the time of Charlemagne's wars against Islam. A libretto is the text used in an extended Musical work such as an Opera, Operetta, Masque, sacred or secular Oratorio and Orlando (HWV 31 is an Opera seria in three acts by George Frideric Handel. For the opera by Étienne Méhul, see Ariodant. Ariodante ( HWV 33 is an Opera seria in three acts by Handel Orlando Furioso ("The Frenzy of Orlando" more literally "Mad Orlando" in Italian furioso is seldom capitalized is an Italian Charlemagne (ˈʃɑrlɨmeɪn Carolus Magnus or Karolus Magnus meaning Charles the Great) (747 – 28 January 814 was King of the Franks from 768 to his For other meanings including people named 'Islam' see Islam (disambiguation. The opera contains several musical sequences with opportunity for dance: these were composed for dancer Marie Sallé. Marie Sallé (1707 &ndash 1756 was a French Dancer and Choreographer known for her expressive dramatic performances
Contents |
Performance history
Alcina was composed for Händel's first season at the Covent Garden Theatre, London. WikipediaWikiProject Opera --> The Royal Opera House is an Opera house and major performing London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. It premiered on April 16, 1735. Events 1178 BC - A Solar eclipse may have marked the return of Odysseus, legendary King of Ithaca, to his kingdom Year 1735 ( MDCCXXXV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Like the composer's other works in the opera seria genre, it fell into obscurity; after a revival in Brunswick in 1738 it was not performed again until a production in Leipzig in 1928. Braunschweig, known as Brunswiek in Low German, is a city of 245810 people (as of 31 December 2007 located in Lower Saxony, Germany. Year 1738 ( MDCCXXXVIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or This sort of fix restores section edit linkpoints to where they belong Year 1928 ( MCMXXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.
The Australian soprano Joan Sutherland sang the role in a production by Franco Zeffirelli in which she made her debut at La Fenice in February 1960 and at the Dallas Opera in November of that year. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. This article is related to a series of articles under the main article Voice type. WikipediaWikiProject Opera#Infoboxes --> Dame Joan Alston Sutherland, OM, AC, DBE (born 7 November 1926 Franco Zeffirelli, KBE (born Gianfranco Corsi on February 12, 1923) is an Italian Film director. Teatro La Fenice ("The Phoenix " is an Opera house in Venice, Italy. The Dallas Opera is an Opera company located in Dallas, Texas ( USA) Another major production was that of Robert Carsen, staged originally for the Opera de Paris in 1999 and repeated at the Lyric Opera of Chicago, which featured Renée Fleming in the title role.
Roles
| Role | Voice type | Premiere Cast, April 16, 1735 (Conductor: George Frideric Händel)[1] |
|---|---|---|
| Alcina, a sorceress | soprano | Anna Maria Strada del Po |
| Morgana, her sister | soprano | Cecilia Young |
| Oberto, a boy searching for his father | soprano | William Savage |
| Ruggiero, a knight | mezzo-soprano | Giovanni Carestini |
| Bradamante, in love with him | contralto | Maria Caterina Negri |
| Orontë, lover of Morgana | tenor | John Beard |
| Melisso, former tutor of Ruggiero | bass | Gustavus Waltz |
Synopsis
Prologue
The background of the opera comes from the poem Orlando Furioso. This article is related to a series of articles under the main article Voice type. Anna Maria Strada (b Bergamo; fl 1719–1741 was an Italian Soprano of the 18th century This article is related to a series of articles under the main article Voice type. William Savage (?London 1720 – London 27 July 1789) was an English Composer, Organist, and Singer of the 18th century This article is related to a series of articles under the main article Voice type. Giovanni Carestini (born Filottrano, near Ancona, circa 1704 — died Filottrano (? circa 1760) was an Italian Castrato The tenor is the highest male voice within the Modal register, just above the Baritone voice John Beard (c 1717 – 5 February 1791) was an English Tenor Gustavus Waltz (fl 1732-1759 was a bass Opera singer who collaborated with Handel. The heroic knight Ruggiero (mezzo soprano) is destined to a short but glorious life, and a benevolent magician is always whisking him away from the arms of his fiancée, Bradamante (mezzo soprano). Ruggiero or Ruggero is the Italian version of the Germanic name Roger and may refer to As a Surname Adamo Ruggiero Bradamante (also spelled Bradamant) is the sister of Rinaldo, and one of the heroines of Orlando Furioso, Ludovico Ariosto 's handling Bradamante is not the type to put up with the constant disappearance of her lover, and she spends vast portions of the poem in full armor chasing after him. Just before the opera begins she has rescued him from an enchanted castle, only to have her flying horse (a hippogriff) take a fancy to Ruggiero and fly off with him. A Hippogriff (also spelled Hippogryph and Hippogryphe) is a Legendary creature, supposedly the offspring of a Griffin and a mare. Ruggiero and the hippogriff land on an island in the middle of the ocean. As the hippogriff begins to eat the leaves of a myrtle bush, Ruggiero is startled to hear the bush begin to speak. The Myrtle ( Myrtus) is a genus of one or two species of Flowering plants in the family Myrtaceae, native to southern Europe and north The bush reveals that it was once a living soul named Sir Astolfo, and the island belongs to the sister sorceresses Alcina (soprano) and Morgana (soprano). The beautiful Alcina seduces every knight that lands on her isle, but soon tires of her lovers and changes them into stones, animals, plants, or anything that strikes her fancy. Despite Astolfo's warning, Ruggiero strides off to meet this sorceress--and falls under her spell.
Act 1
Bradamante, again searching for her lover, arrives on Alcina's island with Ruggiero's former tutor, Melisso (bass). Dressed in armor, Bradamante looks like a young man and goes by the name of her own brother, Ricciardo. She and Melisso possess a magic ring which enables the wearer to see through illusion, which they plan to use to break Alcina's spells and release her captives.
The first person they meet is the sorceress Morgana. Barely human and with no understanding of true love, she immediately abandons her own lover Oronte (tenor) for the handsome 'Ricciardo. ' Morgana conveys the visitors to Alcina's court, where Bradamante is dismayed to discover that Ruggiero is besotted with Alcina and in a state of complete amnesia about his previous life. Also at Alcina's court is a boy, Oberto (soprano), who is looking for his father, Alfonso, who was last seen heading toward this island. Bradamante guesses that Alfonso is now transformed into something, but she holds her peace and concerns herself with Ruggiero. Bradamante and Melisso rebuke Ruggiero for his desertion, but he can't think of anything except Alcina.
Meanwhile, Oronte discovers that Morgana has fallen in love with 'Ricciardo,' and challenges 'him' to a duel. Morgana stops the fight, but Oronte is in a foul mood and takes it out on Ruggiero. He tells the young man exactly how Alcina treats her former lovers and adds that, as far as he can tell, Alcina has fallen in love with the newcomer, Ricciardo. Ruggiero is horrified and overwhelms Alcina with his jealous fury. Things get even worse when 'Ricciardo' enters and pretends to admire Alcina. Alcina calms Ruggiero, but Bradamante is so upset at seeing her fiancé wooed before her very eyes that she reveals her true identity to Ruggiero. Melisso hastily contradicts her and Ruggiero becomes very confused.
Alcina tells Morgana that she plans to turn Ricciardo into an animal, just to show Ruggiero how much she really loves him. Morgana begs Ricciardo to escape the island and Alcina's clutches, but 'he' says he'd rather stay, as he loves another. Morgana believes that this other person is herself, and the act ends with her triumphant aria "Tornami a vagheggiar. "
Act 2
Melisso recalls Ruggiero to reason and duty by letting him wear the magic ring: under its influence, Ruggiero sees the island as it really is--a desert, peopled with monsters. Appalled, he realizes he must leave, and sings the famous aria "Verdi prati" ("Green meadows") where he admits that even though he knows the island and Alcina are mere illusion, their beauty will haunt him for the rest of his life.
Melisso warns Ruggiero that he can’t just leave; Alcina still wields immense power, and he should cover his escape by telling her that he wishes to go hunting. Ruggiero agrees, but, thoroughly bewildered by the magic and illusion surrounding him, he refuses to believe his eyes when he at last sees Bradamante as herself, believing that she may be another of Alcina's illusions. Bradamante is in despair, as is Alcina. Convinced of Ruggiero's indifference, she enters to turn Ricciardo into an animal, and Ruggiero has to pull himself together quickly and convince the sorceress that he doesn’t need any proof of her love. It is at this point that the audience realises that Alcina genuinely loves Ruggiero; from now until the end of the opera, she is depicted sympathetically.
Oronte realizes that Ricciardo, Melisso and Ruggiero are in some sort of alliance, and Morgana and Alcina realise they are being deceived. But it is too late: Alcina's powers depend on illusion and, as true love enters her life, her magic powers slip away. As the act ends, Alcina tries to call up evil spirits to stop Ruggiero from leaving her, but her magic fails her--symbolized by the orchestra falling silent as Alcina continues to sing her invocation.
Act 3
After this the opera finishes swiftly. Morgana and Oronte try to rebuild their relationship; she returns to him and he rebuffs her but (once she is offstage) admits he loves her still. Ruggiero returns to his proper heroic status and sings an aria accompanied by high horns; Oberto is introduced to a lion, to whom he feels strangely attached, and Alcina sings a desolate aria in which she longs for oblivion.
Bradamante and Ruggiero decide that they need to destroy the source of Alcina's magic, usually represented as an urn. Alcina pleads with them, but Ruggiero is deaf to her appeals and smashes the urn. As he does so, everything is both ruined and restored. Alcina's magic palace crumbles to dust and she and Morgana sink into the ground, but Alcina's lovers are returned to their proper selves. The lion turns into Oberto’s father, Alfonso, and other people stumble on, “I was a rock,” says one, “I a tree” says another, and “I a wave in the ocean…” All the humans sing of their relief and joy, and Alcina is forgotten.
Notes
References
- Dean, Winton (2006), Handel's Operas, 1726-1741, Boydell Press, ISBN 1843832682 The second of the two volume definitive reference on the operas of Handel
External links
- Summary from Opera-Opera. com (Second section down)
- [1] from Bayerische Staatsoper (Bavarian State Opera). The Bayerische Staatsoper ( Bavarian State Opera) is an Opera company based in Munich, Germany in existence since 1653 Video clip
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