Il Sospettato X (m)

Contre les théoriciens du déclin, l'auteur, pourfendeur des idées en vogue, à droite comme à gauche, témoigne du désarroi et des espoirs de la jeune génération qu'il appelle à se dépasser dans ce « manifeste pour l'ambition »…

Handel's 1738 opera Serse (Xerxes) baffled audiences at first hearing with its mixture of tragedy and comedy, but that same mixture has resulted in the opera's steadily rising status in performance today. If you're maxed out on athletic opera seria performances, check it out: it has elements of a put-on of that genre. The plot is kicked off by Serse, the king of ancient Persia, praising a shade tree in the famous aria "Ombra mai fu," whose tune is also known as Handel. The role of Serse is written for a male countertenor (originally the castrato Caffarelli), who has to keep a level of seriousness as his character becomes involved in increasingly improbably romantic triangles.