Ariodante at Theater an der Wien

Handel's time in London was marked by constant ups and downs, a succession of successes and failures. Ariodante was written at a time when he was struggling for attention: a rival opera company, the Opera of Nobility, was in a better financial position and had lured all the star performers away from him. As a result, Handel aimed for great musical variety by keeping the recitatives very short and composing a large number of arias that were rich in contrast. A moderate success in 1735, Ariodante is today regarded as one of Handel's most multifaceted operas. The plot stirs many emotions: in reality everything is fine, the Scottish princess Ginevra loves Ariodante, Ariodante loves the princess, the king is happy about this union and a date has been set for the wedding. But the envious Polinesso, rejected by Ginevra, aims to ruin everything. With a malicious trick he succeeds in making Ariodante think that Ginevra is unfaithful to him, and only a series of coincidences finally leads the despairing lovers to a happy ending.