Ariodante
Ariodante
Ariodante
Court conspiracy meets baroque opera in Handel’s astonishing Ariodante, starring Emily D’Angelo and Jacquelyn Stucker.
Ariodante’s perfect life comes crumbling down around him when his fiancée, Ginevra, is accused of infidelity. With the evidence stacked against her, can Ginevra clear her name? And can harmony be restored? Dutch director Jetske Mijnssen makes her Royal Opera debut with a focussed, striking new production of Handel’s remarkable music drama, conducted by Stefano Montanari.
Ariodante’s perfect life comes crumbling down around him when his fiancée, Ginevra, is accused of infidelity. With the evidence stacked against her, can Ginevra clear her name? And can harmony be restored? Dutch director Jetske Mijnssen makes her Royal Opera debut with a focussed, striking new production of Handel’s remarkable music drama, conducted by Stefano Montanari.
Opéra National du Rhin
Royal Ballet and Opera Principal Julia Rausing Trust
Philipp Freise, Charles Holloway OBE and Dame Tina Taylor DBE
A tale of love, jealousy and deception
Ariodante has it all. He is young, in love, and his fiancée, Ginevra, is first in line to the throne. But when a jealous rival conspires against them, Ginevra, falsely accused of infidelity, is stripped of her status, while Ariodante, believing himself betrayed, seeks oblivion. Can justice be restored?
Background
Handel’s blazing musical gifts shine at their brightest in this astonishing opera, composed in 1734, immediately prior to Alcina. Aria after aria reveals new emotional and dramatic depths, with characters of dazzling complexity.
Dutch director Jetske Mijnssen makes her Royal Opera debut in this new staging of Handel’s most famous Italian-language opera, starring the extraordinary American mezzo-soprano Emily D’Angelo (Alcina, La Clemenza di Tito) and former Jette Parker Artist Jacquelyn Stucker as the wrongly-accused Ginevra. Stefano Montanari conducts.
Handel in Covent Garden
This production of Ariodante is the latest instalment in the The Royal Opera’s series of Handel’s Covent Garden works, following in the footsteps of recent productions of Alcina, Jephtha, Theodora and Susanna. The composer, George Frideric Handel was born in Germany in 1685, but from the early 1710s he made his living in London, composing operas and oratorios, many of which were premiered in Covent Garden. Ariodante was Handel’s first opera for Covent Garden, and his only opera set in the British isles.
Literary origins
Ariosto’s great epic poem, Orlando furioso, provided the inspiration for no fewer than three of Handel’s operas. These were: Ariodante, Orlando and Alcina. Written between 1506-1532, Ariosto’s epic Italian poem fused chivalric romance with comedy and mythology, and was over 38,000 lines in length. The poem exerted a staggering influence on European culture of the Middle Ages. Handel’s opera is a setting of an anonymous Italian libretto adapted from an existing text by Antonio Salvini, Ginevra, Principessa di Scozia (Ginevra, Princess of Scotland).
Aria highlight: ‘Scherza, infida’
When Ariodante finds out his beloved Ginevra has betrayed him, he pours his heartache into this haunting aria. It begins with a descending bass line, echoing the falling of teardrops. Woodwind melodies moan in despair, upper strings intone a lilting, sobbing refrain, over which Ariodante sings: ’Scherza, infida, in grembo al drudo’ (‘Enjoy yourself, faithless one, in the arms of your lover’). It is a bitter lament that cuts to the heart. Can there be hope for Ginevra, when Ariodante declares he will give himself up to death’s embrace?
Cast and Creatives
Cast
The cast of this production may vary depending on performance date. Go to cast and dates to see these.
Creatives
Access
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