Monsters, witches and magicians at Theater an der Wien

The second evening, Emmanuelle Haïm contests with Le Concert d'Astree, transports you to magical realms. The representation of the supernatural and miraculous ("merveilleux") was originally the domain of French opera, who wanted to distance themselves from such "tragédie classique" and the "Comédie". But Handel found the world of magic inspiring. His operas Alcina and Orlando are based on Ariosto's Orlando Furioso. The sorceress Alcina transformed their ex-lovers on their island in animals, her lover Ruggiero, with the help of his fiancée but flee from the love spell and destroy Alcina's magic kingdom. The subject of "abandoned sorceress" is also found in Rinaldo, underlies the Gerusalemme Liberata by Tasso: The sorceress Armida falls in love with the enemy crusader Rinaldo, but remains steadfast through the support of a magician and claim victory over the Saracens. Magic, elves and spirits also play an essential role in Henry Purcell's semi-operas The Fairy Queen (1692), based on Shakespeare's Midsummer Night's Dream, and King Arthur (1691) to a play by John Dryden: the Christian King Arthur succeeds in its fiancée to break free from the power of the Saxon King Oswald of Kent. The magician Merlin is on the Arthur's side, while Oswald is also supported by a magician and two spirits. Let yourself be enchanted!