La liberazione di Ruggiero

Premiered in 1625, Francesca Caccini's La liberazione di Ruggiero is the first known opera by a female composer – a humorous and witty work with choruses of enchanted plants, monsters, exotic ladies and sea gods; a good and an evil sorceress; and a rather easily seduced ‘hero’.

Based on the famous Italian epic poem Orlando Furioso, the heroic Saracen champion Ruggiero is freed from the enchantments of the wicked sorceress Alcina through the power of Melissa, another enchantress, working on behalf of his beloved, the Christian warrior maiden Bradamante, a member of Charlemagne’s army.

With Caccini’s father Giulio famously championing a ‘spoken’ style of sung poetry, it’s no surprise that her ‘recitativo’ word setting has both great craft and dramatic immediacy. These passages flow seamlessly between sparkling choral madrigals and plaintive arias, peppered with virtuosic ornaments for the singers to tackle. Lively dances punctuate the score, played by combinations of the wind, brass, stringed, and continuo instruments of the VB Band.

Libretto by Ferdinando Saracinelli, based on Ludovico Ariosto’s Orlando Furioso.

Creative Team:
Jonathan Darbourne Conductor
Eloise Lally Director
Zahra Mansouri Costume Designer
Alex Musgrave Lighting Designer
Katie Kelly Movement Director

Cast:
Camilla Seale Alcina
Jon Stainsby Ruggiero
Phoebe Rayner Melissa
Filippo Turkheimer Nettuno
Harriet Burns Sirena
Betty Makharinsky Nunzia
Aina Miyagi Magnell Una Damigella
Tom Kelly Pastore/Astolfo

Duration: 2 hours and 30 minutes, including a 20-minute interval. Sung in Italian, with English side-titles.