Royal College of Music: Britten TheatrePrince Consort Road, London, Greater London, SW7 2BS, United Kingdom
Dates/times in London time zone
Festival: London Handel Festival
Performers
| Laurence Cummings | Conductor | |
| James Bonas | Director | |
| Adrian Butterfield | Leader | |
| London Handel Orchestra | ||
| Galina Averina | Soprano | Dalinda |
| Marie Lys | Soprano | Dalinda |
| Sofia Larsson | Soprano | Ginevra |
| Gemma Summerfield | Soprano | Ginevra |
| Kamilla Dunstan | Mezzo-soprano | Ariodante |
| Katie Coventry | Mezzo-soprano | Ariodante |
| Elspeth Marrow | Mezzo-soprano | Polinesso |
| Thomas Scott-Cowell | Boy soprano | Polinesso |
| Peter Aisher | Tenor | Lurcanio |
| Thomas Erlank | Tenor | Lurcanio |
| Joel Williams | Tenor | Odoardo |
| Simon Shibambu | Bass | King of Scotland |
Ariodante is one of Handel’s finest operas. Handel composed it for the 1734-5 season, and his
fabulous cast was reflected in the music, a combination of virtuosity and emotional depth. Like its sister opera, and fellow masterpiece, Alcina, Ariodante is taken from Ludovico Ariosto’s epic poem Orlando Furioso, and tells of heroes-in-love, treacherous villainy and chivalric honour. (The story is so good that Shakespeare used it in Much Ado about Nothing). Also like Alcina, Handelm included some charming ballets, written for a visiting French dance troupe. Richly scored and tightly plotted, Ariodante is a perfect piece both for Handel aficionados and for those new to Baroque opera.
