Vivaldi: Orlando Furioso

Based on the most famous episode from Ludicovo Ariosto's epic poem, Vivaldi's opera Orlando Furioso (first performed in Venice in the autumn of 1727) depicts a set of astoundingly lively and very individual characters in a plot that moves at a breathless pace. This unforgettable gallery features not only Orlando himself - here a female contralto, sung by Marie-Nicole Lemieux, much acclaimed for her sumptuous voice and dramatic commitment - who is given a series of astounding virtuoso arias - but also the tragic figure of the sorceress Alcina (Jennifer Larmore), the voluptuous Angelica (Verónica Cangemi), the valiant Ruggiero (a stunning Philippe Jaroussky), and the proud female warrior Bradamante (Kristina Hammarström). Orlando Furioso is perhaps the most dramatically satisfying of the dozen or so Vivaldi works to be re-staged since interest in seeing the Venetian master's operas took hold over the past 15 years or so.