At the Opéra de Lausanne, Stefano Poda unveiled a striking new staging of Alcina, led by Lenneke Ruiten, Franco Fagioli and the inspired baton of Diego Fasolis. 
By 
Spells and Passions
In Alcina (1735), Georg Friedrich Handel tells of the sorceress who lures the knight Ruggiero to her enchanted island, turning her discarded lovers into rocks, streams and wild beasts. For the first time, she herself falls in love with her captive. But Ruggiero’s fiancée, Bradamante, disguises herself as a man (Ricciardo) and sets out to rescue him, with the help of his former tutor, Melisso. Their arrival brings about the collapse of Alcina’s illusion: her spells fade, her victims return to human form, and the enchantress confronts her own powerlessness. Inspired by Ariosto’s Orlando furioso, this dramma per musica blends Baroque fantasy with a deep melancholy: the tragedy of a power undone by love.
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