Tuesday 09 June 2026 | 20:00 |
Programme to include: | ||
Steffani, Agostino (1653-1728) | Orlando Generoso (excerpts) | |
Vivaldi, Antonio (1678-1741) | Orlando furioso, RV 728 (excerpts) | |
Porpora, Nicola (1686-1768) | Angelica (excerpts) | |
Fux, Johann Joseph (1660-1741) | L'Angelica vincitrice di Alcina (excerpts) | |
Handel, George Frideric (1685-1759) | Orlando (excerpts) |
Le Concert de l'Hostel Dieu | |
Franck-Emmanuel Comte | Harpsichord, Conductor |
Xavier Sabata | Countertenor |
Minori Deguchi | Violin |
Pauline Lambert | Presenter |
Ariosto's vast epic poem, Orlando furioso [Furious Roland], has had a profound influence on the history of art, and especially on music. This is evidenced by the well-known operas of Vivaldi and Handel, which this program draws on, as well as the lesser-known operas of Steffani, Fux, and Porpora, which it invites you to discover.
For me, Orlando also represents contemporary man in perpetual motion. All the characters, but especially Orlando, have a goal to achieve, something to discover. Orlando runs, flees, is constantly on the move to reach the object of his desire. He doesn't know how to appreciate what he has and throws himself into a frantic round, inexorably seeking what will bring him happiness, wealth, and tranquility. The Knight puts all his energy into the search for this illusion. He loses himself in his utopia, where the real and the unreal merge, to justify the emptiness that pushes him to never be at peace. Illusion and reality collide, and madness seems to be the only way out to alleviate the pain. Thus, our concert can also be defined as a journey towards madness, which penetrates the interior of the being to reveal its mechanisms.
