Orlando, Georg Friedrich Händel

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Image courtesy of Liceu

Orlando, one of Georg Friedrich Handel’s most celebrated operas, is a cornerstone of the Baroque repertoire. It has transcended time thanks to its emotional complexity and intricate musical development. Composed in 1732, Orlando is a serious opera based on Ludovico Ariosto’s epic poem Orlando Furioso, a tale that intertwines mythology, love and madness. The opera premiered at London’s Covent Garden Theatre, a key venue in Handel’s career, and has remained an essential work on opera stages worldwide, particularly for its exploration of the human psyche through music.

The libretto of Orlando, written by the Italian poet and librettist Carlo Sigismondo Capece, who also provided the verses for Ariodante and Alcina, presents a story rich in internal conflict and unrestrained passion. The protagonist, Orlando, is a medieval knight who, amid war, falls madly in love with the beautiful Angelica. However, the story takes a tragic turn when Angelica falls in love with Medoro, a young man who, in turn, rejects Orlando’s affections. Consumed by jealousy and despair, Orlando loses control of his reason, leading to a temporary madness. In his delirium, he becomes a complex and ambiguous character, caught between the nobility of his nature and the irrationality of his emotions.

The figure of Orlando is central to the work, and Handel’s music masterfully captures the protagonist’s internal struggle. Throughout the opera, the score explores a wide range of human emotions, from anguish and despair to the exaltation of love. Orlando’s arias, including the famous “Verdi prati,” serve as powerful vehicles for expressing his suffering and frustration. Handel’s ability to use the human voice to convey the inner life of his characters stands among the opera’s greatest virtues.

Angelica, by contrast, is the driving force of the dramatic conflict. Her romantic dilemma lends her depth and complexity as a character. Despite her love for Medoro, she is portrayed as a noble figure who often appears as a symbol of virtue and honor. Her music is equally nuanced, with arias that move between sweetness and pain, underscoring her struggle between duty and desire.

Another key element of Orlando is the tension between reason and madness. The opera examines how love can unsettle the human mind, and Orlando becomes a study in emotional and psychological fragility. The music reflects this instability through richly ornamented writing and sharp contrasts, with arias that shift from calm introspection to profound despair. Handel’s ability to create and resolve such tension within the musical structure is one of the reasons Orlando continues to resonate with audiences.

With rich orchestration and prominent use of the basso continuo, which adds depth to the musical texture, the arias stand out for their virtuosity and complexity. The score offers numerous moments in which the singers display their technical prowess. The role of Orlando was written for Senesino, a castrato renowned for his extraordinary abilities, as evidenced by the wide range and expressive demands of the part, particularly in the highly challenging madness scene that closes the second act.

Known as the “Caro Sassone,” Handel was the foremost ambassador of Italian opera in the United Kingdom. In 1711, Rinaldo became the first Italian opera presented in the country. Handel’s style exerted a profound influence on his contemporaries and earned him lasting public acclaim. Marc Minkowski, a distinguished advocate of the Baroque composer, once again leads his ensemble, Les Musiciens du Louvre, to bring this rich and compelling score to life.

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