Handel: Alcina

Despite being one of the most prolific composers of opera and very successful in his own time, Handel operas have remained largely neglected in the operatic repertoire until fairly recently with the Handel revival that began in the '60s. Because of this, if you're looking for recordings of Handel operas there are often not too many to choose from and to my knowledge there are only 3 recordings available of Alcina: one with Joan Sutherland in the ...
...Auger. I am eagerly awaiting the release this month of another recording with Joyce DiDonato in the title role - possibly an unorthodox choice as a mezzo soprano, but one of my favourite singers.

Alcina tells the story of a sorceress (Alcina herself) who seduces every man who dares to set foot on her island. However, Alcina is fickle and soon tires of the men, turning them into stones, animals, and bushes. When Ruggiero, a knight, reaches ... more

Despite being one of the most prolific composers of opera and very successful in his own time, Handel operas have remained largely neglected in the operatic repertoire until fairly recently with the Handel revival that began in the '60s. Because of this, if you're looking for recordings of Handel operas there are often not too many to choose from and to my knowledge there are only 3 recordings available of Alcina: one with Joan Sutherland in the title role, one with Renee Fleming, and one with Arleen Auger. I am eagerly awaiting the release this month of another recording with Joyce DiDonato in the title role - possibly an unorthodox choice as a mezzo soprano, but one of my favourite singers.

Alcina tells the story of a sorceress (Alcina herself) who seduces every man who dares to set foot on her island. However, Alcina is fickle and soon tires of the men, turning them into stones, animals, and bushes. When Ruggiero, a knight, reaches the island, he heads to meet the sorceress, but finds himself quickly under her spell. Hot on his heels is his fiancé, Bradamante, disguised as a man and equipped with a magic ring that will break Alcina's spells and release her prisoners. Add into the mix Morgana, Alcina's sorceress sister, who proceeds to 'fall in love' Shakespearean style with the disguised Bradamante as the inhabitants of the island struggle to free themselves from Alcina's spell.

Les Arts Florissants recording is conducted by William Christie and is a live recording of the Paris Opera production in June 1999, featuring Renee Fleming in the title role. I think it's fair to say that whether you will be a fan of this recording or not hinges on whether or not you are a fan of Renee Fleming. Personally I love Fleming's creamy voice and find the liberties she takes with some of the speeds and ornamentation very moving, but I appreciate that a lot of what she does is very unstylistic so Handel purists will no doubt be frustrated. Until I listened to this recording I'd not been a massive Handel fan, but as I listened to each one of Alcina's arias I became more and more of a convert. "Ah, mio cor" becomes the heartbreaking emotional heart of the opera (all 12 minutes of it!), and without a doubt it's highlight, as Alcina bemoans to the Gods the fact that Ruggiero has escaped her, with Fleming's gorgeous sound truly capturing the deep emotions that torment the character. Her dynamic control is fabulous, with beautifully floated top notes and, for me, Fleming truly makes this a real character, with real emotions and a sensuality to her voice that makes it easy to see why those around her fall so easily under her spell.

Susan Graham dons the pants for the role of Ruggiero and does a fine job. Personally I find it difficult to get excited about the lyric mezzo voice, but Graham is certainly one of the best out there for this role and her Act III aria "Sta nell'Ircana" is well delivered with a sense of upright romanticism.

Natalie Dessay as Morgana is great and handles the fiendish coloratura of "Tornami a vagheggiar" with acrobatic flair. From the clapping that resounds from the audience after this aria it's easy to see why her career has sky rocketed following this production.

In my opinion, it is easy for an opera like Alcina to become dull, but this recording is anything but - the singers really bring out the passion and emotion of the music, it's not at all dry as so many period recordings can be.

Full credit must go to William Christie, who shapes the performance beautifully with well chosen tempi. The orchestra however is very 'authentically baroque' and for my taste the sound is a little thin and acerbic.

The recording itself is a live recording and this is really my only complaint. I have a number of live recordings and have never felt especially aware of the 'live' element before. In this recording, as well as the usual stage sound effects and audience noise (which I often find adds to it) there are numerous moments where you can actually hear the singer turn away from you and the sound dip slightly. There are also particular points on the stage which seem to have a more echoey sound - whenever a singer steps into them you can tell instantly!

There are two versions of this recording available - the full opera and a highlights recording. The full recording retails at around £45, so unless you really want the entire opera, I would recommend opting for the highlights recording, which comes in at £14 and includes all of the major arias. I managed to buy mine (the full recording box set) used from amazon for the discount price of £14 and I thoroughly recommend buying opera box sets this way - it saves a lot of money!

Recommended but Handel purists should steer clear!  

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