Handel's Ariodante
Christof Loy (stage director), Gianluca Capuano (conductor) — With Cecilia Bartoli (Ariodante), Nathan Berg (The King of Scotland) and Rolando Villazón (Lurcanio)
Cast
Christof Loy — Stage director
Johannes Leiacker — Associate set designer
Ursula Renzenbrink — Costume designer
Roland Edrich — Lighting
Andreas Heise — Choreographer
Cecilia Bartoli — Mezzo-soprano (Ariodante)
Nathan Berg — Bass-baritone (The King of Scotland)
Program notes
Discover Ariodante, George Frideric Handel’s Baroque opera, a masterpiece plunging us into the ruthless world of the Scottish royal court through a love story of knight-errant Ariodante and princess Ginevra. Christof Loy staged the production at the Salzburg Festival 2017, alongside maestro Gianluca Capuano who conducted Les Musiciens du Prince-Monaco.
The stage director offers a reflection on gendered roles and deceptive appearances, as the title role is played by a singer in drag—the excellent Cecilia Bartoli—first dressed as a man and then as a woman before becoming a hermaphrodite, wearing a dress and smoking a cigar. The mezzo-soprano virtuosically alternates between plaintive melody and joyful singing. Performing alongside her is young American soprano Kathryn Lewek, who plays the role of the princess, described as a “real discovery” by Swiss newspaper Neue Zürcher Zeitung. Accompanied by the ensemble Les Musiciens du Prince-Monaco, the artists perform in a theatrical setting and dance to the Baroque-inspired choreography of Andreas Hesie. Collectively, these elements make this opera a real triumph, confirmed by the loud applause and cheers of the audience!
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