Gelosia

Rebellious servants, capricious lovers, cross-dressing farce and a happy ending: the fast paced action of this comic Baroque opera had all the ingredients to please the self-confessed ‘low-brow taste’ of an Austro-German prince, who commissioned Giuseppe Scarlatti for a piece to celebrate his son’s wedding. This is the opera’s first revival in modern times, and it takes place in the very same Baroque theatre, impeccably restored to its original glory, which hosted the first performance. With a cast of young singers drawn from Prague’s National Theatre and a stylish period-instrument ensemble, this vivid reconstruction will delight audiences as much today as it did the aristocratic guests at Ceský Krumlov in 1768.

The duets in his operas are the special treats, coming at climactic points – most often, two lovers' supposedly final parting, or their ultimate reunion. Try 'Io t'abbraccio', from Rodelinda, or the wonderful 'Per la porte del tormento' from Sosarme. We have several pieces from Poro, first the intense little love duet in Act 2, and later the two arias in which Poro and Cleofide swear eternal fidelity – which they fling back at each other when, in a duet we also hear, both believe themselves betrayed. Then there's the delightful little minor-key duet from Faramondo, the quarrel duet from Atalanta, the charmingly playful piece from Muzio Scevola, and the extraordinary one for the pleading Angelica and the furious, maddened Orlando. Handel's understanding of the shades and accents of love are something to marvel at.

Few legends have had the impact of the extraordinarily handsome Narcissus who fell in love with his own reflection in the water. In the arts, the legend of Narcissus made its mark from ancient Greece onward. In music, interest in the legend dates back to the baroque. The opera by Domenico Scarlatti Amor d’un’ombra e gelosia d’un’aura was composed in Rome on a libretto by Carlo Sigismondo Capece and was revised in 1720 by Domenico Scarlatti himself- but with a libretto by Paulo Antonio Rolli- for a London performance of Narciso at the King’s Theatre in Haymarket.

En 1516 Ludovico Ariosto publicó su poderosa epopeya Orlando furioso, una secuencia de aventuras heroicas entrelazadas. La historia del caballero Orlando, enloquecido por un amor decepcionado por la princesa Angélica, sirve a toda la gama de emociones y rápidamente alcanzó un gran éxito en toda Europa. Se crearon decenas de óperas en torno a Orlando y otros personajes de la epopeya de Ariosto. El contratenor Filippo Mineccia ha reunido un variado programa de arias de óperas de Steffani, Porpora, Vivaldi, Handel, Mele, Wagenseil y Millico en torno a la figura de "Roland el Furioso", en el que despliega brillantemente todas las facetas creativas de su voz.