Composed in 1735, this opera is the story of the sorceress Alcina, and her sister Morgana, of Ruggiero, a heroic knight, is engaged to Bradamente who is sick of him going off on adventures, so disguises herself as Ricciardo, her own brother and owns a hippogriff (seriously), of magic rings, of deception and loss.
Alcina’s island is one of illusion, and Ruggiero sees that it is a desert filled with monsters, and escapes. Her magic is destroyed and she and her sister are swallowed up by the ground.
An excellent summary can be found courtesy of Opera North: https://www.operanorth.co.uk/news/alcina-in-a-nutshell
The opera is more famous for two arias – the exciting and challenging aria at the end of Act 1, ‘Tornami a vagheggiar’, and ‘Verdi prati, selve amene’ in Act 2, but today’s choice is the opening chorus ‘Questo è’il Cielo de’ contenti’ (Here is the heaven of all pleasure), sung by the bewitched islanders thinking they are in a place of beauty. The music is taken from Handel’s Organ Concerto in F major.
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