ORLANDO

In Handel’s opera »Orlando«, love turns into jealousy and madness. Torn between knightly honour and his feelings, the title character Orlando falls in love with Queen Angelica, whose heart, however, belongs to Medoro. Orlando feels betrayed by Angelica, and Dorinda is also troubled by the couple: she is unhappily in love with Medoro. Orlando’s jealousy escalates into raging fury, and he attempts to kill Angelica and Medoro. But the magician Zoroastro is able to save the two and ultimately also free Orlando from his madness. The remorseful Orlando is forgiven, and the opera concludes with a conciliatory joint finale.

Georg Friedrich Handel’s five-person opera »Orlando«, in which the title character experiences love and madness in quick succession, exemplifies the dramatic emotional depth of opera. The 1732 composition is well presented as a concert performance by Les Musiciens du Louvre: one of the early music ensemble’s recognised strengths is Handel’s works. Marc Minkowski founded the French ensemble in 1982 and, in addition to his concert work with Les Musiciens du Louvre, regularly conducts in Paris, London, Milan, and Salzburg. From 2013 to 2017, he led the Mozart Week in Salzburg. Alongside esteemed soloists such as Aude Extrémo, who has collaborated closely with Minkowski for several years, and skilled instrumentalists, he brings the powerful emotions of Baroque opera vividly to life in the Baroque palace theatre.

This concert is part of the Festival-Subscription I.