George Frideric Handel's "Alcina" resounds as the third in this year performances of the Opera Rara series in Kraków. Les Musiciens du Louvre-Grenble present the concert version of Handel's "Alcina" under the baton of Marc Minkowski
The performance of "Alcina" was to take place at last year's Opera Rara , which was scheduled for the 2nd of December 2010, however, it was postponed till the 7th of October 2011 by the decision of artists and organizers due to the awful weather which paralysed air traffic throughout Europe. This year the Kraków performance of Alcina resounds as scheduled with such excellent artists as Inga Kalna, Veronica Cangemi and Romina Basso.
"Alcina" was Handel's first opera after "Ariodante". The libretto combines several literary sources, it was adapted by an unknown author from a libretto by Antonio Fanzaglia entitled "L'Isola d'Alcina", written for Riccardo Broschi (brother of Farinelli); the source material is Ariosto's "Orlando Furioso", used by composers in several operas. Handel brings to life a fantasy world, the brave and throbbing heart of which pulses with deep emotion. He created an extraordinary, enchanted world, in which curses of love dominate, and magic pulls the strings of the lovers' emotions.
Its premiere in 1735 marked the beginning of the great career of a new work of opera, which was to be performed 18 times before the end of the season. After its resumption in Brunswick (1738), Alcina disappeared from the opera repertory for two centuries, to return to the stage in Leipzig, in the 1930s. From that time it has featured on the stages of the world's greatest opera houses.
The performance varies from Handel's other operas in that it makes use of a real choir, rather than a set of soloists.
The choir parts are performed by the Capella Cracoviensis Vocal Ensemble while the modest but demanding part of Oberto is played Kraków born and educated Jolanta Kowalska. Kowalski is young graduate of the Academy of Music in Krakow and Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, a laureate of the Scholarship of the Artistic City of Krakow and prestigious competitions such as Bach Singer's Prize in London, Johann Sebastian Bach in Leipzig, as well as Polish Ada Sari Vocal Art Competition.Audiences have been able to admire her voice for several years as a vocalist of Capella Cracoviensis Vocal Ensemble.
Jolanta Kowalska performs besides some of the best voices in Europe, including Argentinian soprano Veronica Cangemi, Latvian soprano Inga Kalna and Italian Romina Basso.
Cast:
Inga Kalna (soprano) - Alcina
Veronica Cangemi (soprano) - Morgana
Ann Hallenberg (alto) - Ruggiero
Romina Basso (alto) - Bradamante
Jolanta Kowalska (soprano) - Oberto
Emiliano Gonzalez Toro (tenor) - Oronte
Luca Tittoto (bass) - Melisso
Capella Cracoviensis Vocal Ensemble
Les Musiciens du Louvre-Grenoble
Marc Minkowski – conductor
"Alcina" opera concert performance by Georg Friedrich Handel in the Opera Rara cycle takes place on the 7th of October 2011 at the Karol Szymanowski Philharmonic Hall in Krakow. For more information of the performance and Opera Rara see: www.operarara.pl.
"L'Olimpiade", "Orlando furioso", "Alcina" and "L'Oracolo in Messenia" constitute the edition of the Opera Rara cycle 2011. Two of them have their Polish pre-performances in Krakow, and "L'Oracolo in Messeni", its world pre-performance.
Giovanni Battista Pergolesi, "L'Olimpiade" - Polish premiere
Date: 20 January 2011
Place: Juliusz Słowacki Theatre
Cast:
Megacle: Yetzabel Arias Fernandez
Licida: Mary-Ellen Nesi
Argene: Monica Piccinini
Aristea: Roberta Mameli
Alcandro: Alessandra Visentin
Clistene: Mirko Guadagnini
Aminta: Cyril Auvity
Accademia Bizantina
Ottavio Dantone – conductor
Antonio Vivaldi, "Orlando Furioso" - Polish premiere
Date: 5 June 2011
Place: Juliusz Słowacki Theatre
Cast:
Orlando: Delphine Galou
Alcina: Marina de Liso
Ruggiero: David DQ Lee
Bradamante: Kristina Hammarström
Medoro: Romina Basso
Angelica: Veronica Cangemi
Astolfo: Christian Senn
Ensemble Matheus
Jean-Christophe Spinosi – conductor
Antonio Vivaldi, "L'Oracolo in Messenia" - world premiere
Date: 8 December 2011
Place: Kraków Philharmonic Hall
Cast:
Polifonte: Magnus Staveland
Merope: Maria Grazia Schiavo
Epitide: Ann Hallenberg
Emira: Romina Basso
Trasimede: Lucia Cirillo
Licisco: Sunhae Im
Anassandro: Marina de Liso
Europa Galante
Fabio Biondi – conductor
Source: krakow.gazeta.pl, press materials