Baroque opera returns to the Arts with Händel's 'Ariodante'

• Andrea Marcon, one of the most prestigious specialists in early music, directs this work which is presented in a Richard Jones muntatge

• Recognize yourselves in the distribution: Ekaterina Vorontsova (Ariodante), Jane Archibald (Genevra), Christophe Dumaux (Polinesso) and Lucca Tittoto (il re di Scozia)

Valencia (21.2.22). The baroque opera returns to the Palau de les Arts with 'Ariodante', by Georg Friedrich Händel, which premieres in a muntatge by Richard Jones with musical direction by Andrea Marcon, which will be seen on March 1, in the Main Hall.

The artistic director of the Arts, Jesús Iglesias Noriega, has presented this production before the communication mitjans, accompanied by mate Andrea Marcon and Benjamin Davis, stage director of the revival.

According to Iglesias Noriega, "with 'Ariodante', the Arts advances in its commitment to offer the public the broadest vision of the operatic genre, with one of the most delicate and beautiful pages of the Baroque, a repertoire absent fourteen years on the main stage of the theater."

For now, Les Arts has assembled a solid artistic team of specialists in this musical period, headed by Italian harpsichordist, organist and orchestra conductor Andrea Marcon. Guarded by the Händel-Preis, Prize of the City of Halle 2021, the master of Treviso is one of the most prestigious experts in early music on the international scene who debuts with this title with the Choir of the Generalitat and the Orchestra of the Valencian Community.

With more than 75 recordings in his career, Marcon has continued to receive critical and public acclaim for his various interpretations, among others, of Marcello's The Trionfo della Musica e della Poesia; 'Orlando Furioso', 'Atenaide', 'Tito Manlio', 'Gloria', 'Magnificat' and 'Juditha Triumphans', by Vivaldi; 'La Calisto' and 'Il Giasone', by Cavalli; 'Orfeo' and 'Vespers', by Monteverdi; 'Messiah', 'Ariodante' and 'Alcina', by Händel; here with Bach's cantates and the 'Missa in B minor'.

Richard Jones designs the staging of this opera, both sets and costumes by Ultz, lighting by Mimi Jordan Sherin, choreography by Lucy Burge, stage direction of titles by Finn Caldwell and design of titles by Nick Barnes and Finn Caldwell.

More than thirty years into his professional career, Jones has earned distinctions for his various forays into theater and opera, both in the main lyrical institutions on the circuit: Covent Garden in London, Metropolitan in New York, La Scala in Milà, the Opera in Paris and the Staatsoper in Munich.

In the beautiful stage proposal for 'Ariodante', the British stage director updates the cavalleresque intrigue of ambition, zels i enganys - based on 'Ginevra, principessa di Scozia', by Antonio Salvi, and inspired by the songs IV-VI of 'Orlando Furioso', by Ludovico Ariosto - for a move it to a fishermen's island in l'Escòcia dels anys setanta.

As Benjamin Davis, responsible for the revival, explains, the British director's approach provides a framework for reflection, in which Ariodante and his German Lurcanio are present as outsiders from a patriarchal and stagnant community, with strong moral and religious convictions.

Les Arts, as pointed out by Jesús Iglesias Noriega, presents in 'Ariodante' a distribution with consecrated women in this repertoire, with Ekaterina Vorontsova in the role of the legendary cavaller, which the Russian mezzo-soprano has offered with success at the Bolxoi Theater in Moscow, and is considered one of the most promising artists.

The Italian reputation of Lucca Tittoto, praised for a versatility that has brought her to singing from the Baroque era, first to Puccini in the most notable opera houses, gives life to the Scozia's King, with the emerging Canadian soprano Jane Archibald in the role of the daughter, Princess Ginevra.

The French countertenor Christophe Dumaux makes his debut in Valencia with one of his six leading roles, Polinesso, duc d'Albany and antagonist of Ariodante. North-Americans Jacquelyn Stucker (Dalinda) and David Portillo (Lurcanio), together with Center de Perfection tenor Jorge Franco (Odoardo), complete the protagonist cast.

'Ariodante' is a piece of the Festival d'Ais de Provença, in co-production with the Dutch National Opera & Ballet, Canadian Opera Company and Lyric Opera of Chicago.

Les Arts will represent Händel's masterpieces on March 1, 4 and 6. Due to the duration of the work, the performances on Days 1 and Days 4 will begin at 7:00 p.m.

Young public

In addition to the 'Preview' for those under 29 years of age, this day, at 7:00 p.m., Arts presents a new initiative aimed at the young public, with a discount of 50% for the entrances to all Ariodante performances for those under 35 years of age.