Opera North’s Alcina Review

Leeds Grand Theatre – until 24th March 2022

Reviewed by Dawn Smallwood

4****

Alcina is an opera composed by George Frideric Handel and first premiered at London’s Theatre Royal in 1735. The music is set to anonymous text from Antonio Fanzaglia’s L’isola di Alcina libretto and set by Riccardo Broschi in 1728 from Ludovico Ariosto’s Orlando furiso written in the 16th Century. The opera is sung in Italian with English surtitles. This is an opera of firsts for Opera North; Alcina is Opera North’s first ever production along with it being the first ever sustainable one.

Handel is known for his baroque translucent melodic music and is suited to this opera. Under the direction of Tim Albery this six-character opera and story is set on a “Alcina’s island” and tells the stories of the characters’ complicated love lives. The story brings out a wide range of themes such as deception and secrecy along with love and loss which are intertwined with enchantment and entertainment. The story setting is a similar vein to Shakespeare’s The Tempest, The Winter’s Tale and The Midsummer Night’s Dream.

The opera transports one to the unravelling and revealing of all the characters which is supported by the music and singing such as the memorable Tornami a vagheggiar and Lusinga il dolce affetto. The emotions are explored and expressed and create a trance like ambience with sudden touches of melodrama whenever there is a revelation among the characters. Excellent portrayals from Maíre Flavin as Alcina and Fleur Wyn as Morgana and both sopranos are supported by a talented company under Laurence Cummings’ musical direction.

The sustainable approach to this production is evident with the fact that only one set is used throughout the opera with a minimum of props, and this is something no doubt Opera North takes pride in. The lowering of the spot lighting indicates the “start and finish” and “transient” cues to the scenes. Hannah Clark’s simplistic modern staging, Matthew Richardson’s effective lighting, and Ian William Galloway’s excellent video projection creates the “physical relationship and transportation” for the character to “move” as well as figuratively and emotively on their personal journeys.

Translucency and sustainability commendably reign in this production of Alcina. An excellent opera which isn’t traditionally structured but fitting for the environmentally conscious. Alcina emphasises the key figurative and emotive content and context.