Gulbenkian Music has teamed up with the Aix-en-Provence Festival to show, on a large screen, in its Grand Auditorium, four production premieres: Carmen by Bizet, The Rake’s Progress by Stravinsky, Così Fan Tutte by Mozart and Alcina by Händel. With free admission, this initiative seeks to take some of the best production at this prestigious, beyond borders Festival, opening up the music – and opera in particular – to a new public.

Synopsis

Alcina is a witch and deploys her arts in the service of seduction: her bewitching spells attract knights to her islands that she swiftly transforms into wild animals or rocks. But the seducer finally gets seduced. She falls in love with the knight Ruggiero, who she makes forget of his former life. A prisoner in her own trap, Alcina cannot but experience her own fall: Ruggiero abandons her to return to the arms of the faithful Bradamante. And the witch, shorn of her spells, is left with nothing but her tears. Once again making recourse to the endless source that is Orlando Furioso by Ariosto, Händel composed Alcina in 1735, a few months on from Ariodante and for the same singers. We once again encounter here his very greatest inspiration, galvanised by all of the charms of his tragic heroine.

Opera in Italian with French subtitles.

Musical direction Andrea Marcon
Staging Katie Mitchell
Scenography Chloe Lamford
Wardrobe Laura Hopkins
Lighting design James Farncombe
Stage moving assistant Joseph W. Alford
Alcina Patricia Petibon
Ruggiero Philippe Jaroussky
Morgana Anna Prohaska
Bradamante Katarina Bradic
Oronte Anthony Gregory
Melisso Krzysztof Baczyk
Oberto Elias Mädler
Actors Juliet Alderdice (elderly Alcina), Jane Thorne (elderly Morgana), Ian Hallard (father of Oberto and servant), Zoé Aldrich, Josephine Arden, Sarah Northgrave and Anna Martine (servants)
Choir MusicAeterna (Chœur de l’Opéra de Perm)
Choir direction Vitaly Polonsky
Orchestra Freiburger Barockorchester
Continuo Tiorbas Daniele Ciminiti, Maria Ferré, Violoncelo Guido Larisch, Cravos Andrea Marcon, Johannes Keller

Production by the Aix-en-Provence Festival 2015

In a co-production with the Bolshoi Theatre

Family Pass (2 adults and 1 child up to 12 years old): €20

Extra child: €2,5
This pass is only available at our box office