Orlando furioso by Antonio Vivaldi
Cast
Carlo Vistoli | Orlando
Marie-Nicole Lemieux | Alcina
Filippo Mineccia | Ruggiero
Margherita Maria Sala | Bradamante
Adèle Charvet | Medoro
Ana Maria Labin | Angelica
Luigi De Donato | Astolfo
Jean-Christophe Spinosi | direction
Ensemble Matheus
Sung in Italian with French and English subtitles
About
Vivaldi is thought to have composed fifty operas, of which only a dozen have survived to this day. Inspired by Ariosto’s epic poem, his Orlando Furioso was written in the 1720s, the most exciting decade of the composer’s career. Jean-Christophe Spinosi has long been a passionate champion of the lyric catalogue of the Red Priest. For many people, his 2004 recording on the Naïve label, and Pierre Audi’s staging of the opera in this very venue, was their first encounter with this repertoire. These two landmarks showcased a cast featuring Marie-Nicole Lemieux and Philippe Jaroussky, which has since gone on to light up lyric stages. Twenty years later, Jean-Christophe Spinosi returns to this work, which has formed the cornerstone of his career, in the company of one of his favourite performers, the Québécoise contralto Marie-Nicole Lemieux, who swaps the role of Orlando for that of the manipulative Angelica. A fascinating portrait of the tenderest and most painful emotions, Orlando Furioso is one of the finest specimens to emerge from Vivaldi’s operatic laboratory
Production Théâtre des Champs-Elysées