Handel's beguling opera of magic and seduction is a real gem of the Baroque and is one of the few operas from its time to approach repertoire status today. The music is simply sublime. One gorgeous aria follows another in a cascade of beautiful showpieces.
The most famous arias are "Tornami a vagheggiar" a spectacular aria sung by Morgana, Alcina's sister, though often moved so it can be sung by Alcina herself, and "Verdi Prati" sung by the hero Ruggiero. The famed castrato, Carestini, who sang Ruggiero at the premiere, thought the aria unworthy of his voice. With its gentle lilt, it is now one of the most famous castrati arias, taken today by a mezzo soprano en travesti or a counter tenor.
The plot revolves around the sorceress Alcina and her magical island. She seduces men and when she tires of them she turns them into rocks, animals and trees. There is much confusion, mistaken identities and disguises, but is good in the end. The sorceress is defeated and the men saved from their torment.
Here are two very different productions of this masterpiece. Robert Helpmann's opulent Australian Opera production, starring Joan Sutherland in 1983 and Robert Carsen's Opera National de Paris 1999 production created for the all-star cast of Renee Fleming, Natalie Dessay and Susan Graham.
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