Alcina, HWV 34 (complete)

ALCINA, HWV 34, is an opera seria in three acts, composed by George Frideric Handel (1685-1759) in 1735. With a libretto borrowed from the Italian opera L'isola di Alcina by Riccardo Broschi, the work premiered on April 16 at the Theatre Royal in London. A sorceress lures men to her island with magic, then turns them into rocks, plants, or animals when she grows tired of them. Despite this danger, the amorous knight Ruggiero ventures to her forbidden island. When his fianc? tries to rescue him from her enchantments, a tangled web of jealousy quickly thickens the plot. Instrumentation: 2.2.0.1(Opt.): 2.0.0.0: hpchd: str (2.2.1.1.1): Solo Vc. Vocal Soli (7 roles SSSAATB): Chorus.