Ariodante / The English Concert
Please note the change of artist
The ideal introductory opera for Handel novices
Ariodante is the ideal introductory opera for Handel novices and a piece greatly cherished by dedicated Handel fans, especially with this cast of performers.
Please note the change of artist:
It is with deep regret that Joyce DiDonato has had to cancel her participation due to a medical procedure. She is immensely grateful that wonderful British mezzosoprano Alice Coote, who sings Ariodante, will be stepping in for her. The lyrically enchanting Christiane Karg takes on the part of the king’s daughter Ginevra and the musical foundation is provided by Europe’s leading baroque orchestra, The English Concert, led by artistic director Harry Bicket.
In Handel’s beguiling opera from 1735, a young aristocrat named Ariodante falls in love with the Scottish king’s daughter, and she with him. The love-spurned duke Polinesso deceives Ariodante into believing that Ginevra is unfaithful. Ariodante throws himself from a cliff and Ginevra is to be put to death for adultery unless her innocence can be proven through a trial by battle. The villain is defeated in combat by Ariodante’s brother, who takes the lady-in-waiting Dalinda to be his wife. In the end, Ariodante gets his Ginevra and Polinesso confesses all his evil deeds. A plot full of red herrings, entanglements and emotionally extreme situations – exactly the ingredients Handel needed to be inspired to great ideas.
Performers
The English Concert
Alice Coote mezzo-soprano
Christiane Karg soprano
David Portillo tenor
Sonia Prina alto
Mary Bevan soprano
Matthew Brook baritone
Bradley Smith tenor
harpsichord and director Harry Bicket
Programme
Georg Friedrich Händel
Ariodante HWV 33 / Dramma per Musica