Alcina - Royal Ballet and Opera

Alcina, one of Handel's most celebrated operas, arrives at the Royal Opera House in a production directed by Richard Jones. The enchantress Alcina rules a magical island where her spell-bound lovers dwell — until she tires of them and transforms them into beasts and trees. When Bradamante, determined to recover her beloved knight Ruggiero, penetrates Alcina's domain in disguise, the foundations of the enchantress's world begin to crack. Handel's score is a marvel of emotional variety and vocal invention, its da capo arias giving the finest singers the opportunity to deploy every nuance of their art in music of extraordinary expressive power — from the bewitching to the bereft.

Director Richard Jones, whose productions span the baroque repertoire and beyond with consistent theatrical flair and imaginative originality, brings clarity and wit to this opulent work. The Royal Opera's roster of singers brings the vocal brilliance that Handel's music demands, making Alcina a feast for audiences drawn both to spectacular singing and to compellingly told human stories. Handel at his most irresistible — not to be missed.