Alcina

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Alcina is an opera seria by George Frideric Handel. The libretto's author is unknown, but the plot is taken (like those of the Handel operas Orlando and Ariodante) from Ludovico Ariosto's Orlando furioso, an epic poem set in the time of Charlemagne's wars against Islam.

[edit] Performance history

Alcina was composed for Handel's first season at the Covent Garden Theatre, London. It premiered on April 16, 1735. 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.

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.

Since 2005 the Bavarian State Opera is staging the work in Munich with Anja Harteros in the title role and Vesselina Kasarova as Ruggiero.

[edit] Synopsis

Alcina is based on an incident from the Italian epic poem, Orlando Furioso. One of its main characters is the knight Ruggiero (mezzo soprano) who is destined to be the ancestor of the noble family for whom the poem was written, the D'Este. Unfortunately, Ruggiero is also destined to a short but glorious life, and a benevolent magician who looks after him is always whisking him away from the arms of his fiancée, Bradamante (mezzo soprano) and his dangerous, if heroic, future. 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 opens she has saved him from an enchanted castle, only to find her flying horse (a hippogryph) ruining everything. The animal takes a fancy to Ruggiero and settles down beside him. Naturally Ruggiero hops on board and, before he or Bradamante can do anything about it, the hippogryph zooms off into the sky. They land on an island far out in the middle of the sea. Ruggiero ties the hippogryph to a myrtle bush and, as the animal begins to munch the myrtle leaves, Ruggiero is startled to hear the bush speak. It begs Ruggiero to loose his steed from its branches, and as Ruggiero bends down to do so, he learns that the bush was once a living soul - Sir Astolfo. Astolfo tells him that he has landed on Alcina's isle and that everything here is an illusion created by the two sorceresses, Alcina (soprano) and her sister Morgana (soprano). Alcina herself is extremely beautiful and she seduces every knight that lands on her isle. However she soon tires of her lovers and changes them into stones, animals, myrtle bushes, anything that strikes her fancy. Duly warned, Ruggiero strides off to meet this sorceress - and falls under her spell.

Act I

Meanwhile, Bradamante is on the case and, at the beginning of the opera, she arrives on Alcina's island with Melisso (bass), Ruggiero’s former tutor. Bradamante is in armour again, looks like a young man, and goes by the name of her own brother, Ricciardo. She and Melisso posses a magic ring which enables its wearer to see through illusion and they are determined to use it to break Alcina's spell, and release her captives. The first person they meet is Morgana. She, too, is a sorceress, barely human, with no understanding of true love, and she immediately leaves her own lover Oronte (tenor) for the handsome ‘Ricciardo’. She conducts them to Alcina's court where Bradamante is not pleased to find that Ruggiero is besotted with Alcina and in a state of complete amnesia about his previous life. He can’t understand the frosty reception he gets from the newcomers. Also in attendance on Alcina is a boy, Oberto (soprano). He is looking for his father, Alfonso, who was last seen making for this island. Bradamante guesses that the poor man has been transformed into something, but she holds her peace as her main concern is with Ruggiero. Left alone with Ruggiero, Bradamante and Melisso rebuke him for his desertion, but Ruggiero can't think of anything except Alcina. Meanwhile, Oronte has discovered 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. Matters are not helped by Ricciardo who enters and pretends to admire Alcina. Alcina calms Ruggiero down, but she does so under the eyes of the disguised Bradamante who is so upset at seeing her fiancée wooed before her very eyes that she reveals her true identity to Ruggiero. Melisso hastily contradicts her and Ruggiero gets very confused. Alcina exits in distress and tells Morgana (in the wings) that she thinks she’ll turn Ricciardo into an animal, just to show Ruggiero how much she really loves him. Morgana dashes back on stage to beg Ricciardo to escape, but he states that he’d rather stay, as he loves another. Morgana believes that this other person is herself, and the act ends with her triumphant aria.

Act II

This act deals with Ruggiero's discovery of the deception. Melisso gets the young man alone and recalls him to reason and duty. He gives Ruggiero a magic ring, and under its influence the knight sees the island as it really is - a desert, peopled by non-humans. He is appalled, and realises he must leave, but not before he sings the desolate aria, Verdi Prati. This is a wonderful piece of music, and the theatre usually goes very still as it is sung; Ruggiero knows, now, that the island (and Alcina) are mere illusion, and he knows simultaneously that 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 spells. 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 moment in the opera that the audience realises that Alcina genuinely loves Ruggiero. Handel always had a soft spot for a sorceress, and from now to the end of the opera he describes her with immense sympathy. 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 real passion enters her life, her magic powers slip away. The act ends with an accompanied recitative. Alcina tries to call up evil spirits to stop Ruggiero from leaving her, but, trapped by real love, her assurance slips away. The orchestra falls silent, and suddenly the sorceress’ lone voice rings out, unsupported, in a despairing invocation.

Act III

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. Their relationship seems doomed to failure; perhaps none of Alcina’s court are destined to find happiness. Ruggiero returns to his proper heroic status and sings an aria with a brilliant accompaniment of 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. Ultimately everything centres on breaking the source of Alcina's magic, usually an urn. Bradamante and Ruggiero confront Alcina - the sorceress pleads with them, but Ruggiero is deaf to her appeals and eventually smashes the urn. As he does so, everything is both ruined and restored. Alcina's magic palace tumbles 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…”

[edit] External links

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