Track Listing

Disc 1:

1. Alcina, opera, HWV 34: Sinfonia
2. Alcina, opera, HWV 34: Minuet
3. Alcina, opera, HWV 34: Musette
4. Alcina, opera, HWV 34: Act 1. Scene 1. Recitativo. Oh Dei! quivi non scorgo alcun sentiero!
5. Alcina, opera, HWV 34: Act 1. Scene 1. Aria. O s'apre al riso
6. Alcina, opera, HWV 34: Act 1. Scene 2. Coro. Questo è il cielo de' contenti
7. Alcina, opera, HWV 34: Act 1. Scene 2. Recitativo. Ecco l'infido
8. Alcina, opera, HWV 34: Act 1. Scene 2. Aria. Di', cor mio, quanto t'amai
9. Alcina, opera, HWV 34: Act 1. Scene 3. Recitativo. Generosi guerrier
10. Alcina, opera, HWV 34: Act 1. Scene 3. Aria. Chi m'insegna il caro padre?
11. Alcina, opera, HWV 34: Act 1. Scene 4. Recitativo. Mi ravvisi
12. Alcina, opera, HWV 34: Act 1. Scene 4. Aria. Di te mi rido
13. Alcina, opera, HWV 34: Act 1. Scene 5. Recitativo. Qua dunque ne veniste
14. Alcina, opera, HWV 34: Act 1. Scene 6. Aria. È gelosia
15. Alcina, opera, HWV 34: Act 1. Scene 7. Recitativo. Io dunque / Scene 8. Recitativo. La cerco in vano
16. Alcina, opera, HWV 34: Act 1. Scene 8. Aria. Semplicetto!
17. Alcina, opera, HWV 34: Act 1. Scene 9. Recitativo. Ah, infedele, infedel!
18. Alcina, opera, HWV 34: Act 1. Scene 10. Aria. Sì, son quella!
19. Alcina, opera, HWV 34: Act 1. Scene 11. Recitativo. Se nemico mi fossi / Scene 12. Recitativo. Bradamante favella?
20. Alcina, opera, HWV 34: Act 1. Scene 12. Aria. La bocca vaga
21. Alcina, opera, HWV 34: Act 1. Scene 13. Recitativo. Fuggi cor mio
22. Alcina, opera, HWV 34: Act 1. Scene 14. Aria. Tornami a vagheggiar

Disc 2:

1. Alcina, opera, HWV 34: Act 2. Scene 1. Arioso. Col celarvi a chi v'ama / Recitativo. Taci, taci, codardo
2. Alcina, opera, HWV 34: Act 2. Scene 1. Arioso. Qual portento mi richiama
3. Alcina, opera, HWV 34: Act 2. Scene 1. Recitativo. Ah, Bradamante!
4. Alcina, opera, HWV 34: Act 2. Scene 1. Aria. Pensa a chi geme d'amor
5. Alcina, opera, HWV 34: Act 2. Scene 2. Recitativo. Qual odio ingiusto contro me?
6. Alcina, opera, HWV 34: Act 2. Scene 2. Aria. Vorrei vendicarmi
7. Alcina, opera, HWV 34: Act 2. Scene 3. Recitativo. Chi scopre al mio pensiero
8. Alcina, opera, HWV 34: Act 2. Scene 3. Aria. Mi lusinga il dolce affetto
9. Alcina, opera, HWV 34: Act 2. Scene 4. Recitativo. S'acquieti il rio sospetto / Scene 5. Recitativo. E la tua pace
10. Alcina, opera, HWV 34: Act 2. Scene 5. Aria. Ama, sospira
11. Alcina, opera, HWV 34: Act 2. Scene 6. Recitativo. Non scorgo nei tuo viso
12. Alcina, opera, HWV 34: Act 2. Scene 6. Aria. Mio bel tesoro
13. Alcina, opera, HWV 34: Act 2. Scene 7. Recitativo. Regina, io cerco in vano
14. Alcina, opera, HWV 34: Act 2. Scene 7. Aria. Tra speme e timore
15. Alcina, opera, HWV 34: Act 2. Scene 8. Recitativo. Regina, sei tradita
16. Alcina, opera, HWV 34: Act 2. Scene 8. Aria. Ah! mio cor!
17. Alcina, opera, HWV 34: Act 2. Scene 10. Aria. È un folle
18. Alcina, opera, HWV 34: Act 2. Scene 11. Recitativo. Eccomi a' piedi tuoi
19. Alcina, opera, HWV 34: Act 2. Scene 11. Aria. Verdi prati
20. Alcina, opera, HWV 34: Act 2. Scene 12. Recitativo accompagnato. Ah! Ruggiero crudel
21. Alcina, opera, HWV 34: Act 2. Scene 12. Aria. Ombre pallide

Disc 3:

1. Alcina, opera, HWV 34: Act 3. Sinfonia
2. Alcina, opera, HWV 34: Act 3. Scene 1. Recitativo. Voglio amar e disamar
3. Alcina, opera, HWV 34: Act 3. Scene 1. Aria. Credete al mio dolore
4. Alcina, opera, HWV 34: Act 3. Scene 1. Recitativo. M'inganna, me n'avveggo
5. Alcina, opera, HWV 34: Act 3. Scene 1. Aria. Un momento di contento
6. Alcina, opera, HWV 34: Act 3. Scene 2. Recitativo. Molestissimo incontro!
7. Alcina, opera, HWV 34: Act 3. Scene 2. Aria. Ma quando tornerai
8. Alcina, opera, HWV 34: Act 3. Scene 3. Recitativo. Tutta d'armate squadre
9. Alcina, opera, HWV 34: Act 3. Scene 3. Aria. Sta nell'Ircana
10. Alcina, opera, HWV 34: Act 3. Scene 4. Recitativo. Vanne tu seco ancora
11. Alcina, opera, HWV 34: Act 3. Scene 4. Aria. All'alma fedel
12. Alcina, opera, HWV 34: Act 3. Scene 5. Recitativo. Niuna forza lo arresta
13. Alcina, opera, HWV 34: Act 3. Scene 5. Aria. Mi restano le lagrime
14. Alcina, opera, HWV 34: Act 3. Scene 6. Recitativo. Già vicino è il momento
15. Alcina, opera, HWV 34: Act 3. Scene 7. Recitativo. Le lusinghe
16. Alcina, opera, HWV 34: Act 3. Scene 7. Terzetto. Non è amor, nè gelosia
17. Alcina, opera, HWV 34: Act 3. Scene 8. Recitativo. Ah mio Ruggier, che tenti? / Scene 9. Recitativo. Misera, ah, no! / Sce
18. Alcina, opera, HWV 34: Act 3. Scena ultima. Coro. Dall'orror di notte cieca
19. Alcina, opera, HWV 34: Act 3. Scena ultima. Entrée
20. Alcina, opera, HWV 34: Act 3. Scena ultima. Tamburino
21. Alcina, opera, HWV 34: Act 3. Scena ultima. Coro. Dopo tante amare pene

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #47751 in Music
• Released on: 2000-04-25
• Number of discs: 3
• Format: Box set
• Dimensions: .75 pounds

Amazon.com's Best of 2000
With her portrayal of Handel's sorceress Alcina, Renée Fleming scores yet another triumph--and so do her colleagues Susan Graham and Natalie Dessay. One moment seems to top the next as Handel offers aria after aria loaded with exquisite melody. For all of its absurdities of plot, this baroque opera comes deliciously alive in the wise, stylish hands of conductor William Christie. --Thomas May

Amazon.com
Here it is: one of the year's most hotly anticipated opera recordings, made during an acclaimed live production in June 1999 at the Paris Opera, which more than lives up to the promise. Handel's operas--the center of his creative life before oratorios became the focus--have spent far too long in limbo awaiting rediscovery, which slowly started happening in the late '60s with works such as Giulio Cesare. But whether Handelian opera is still a novelty or you're already a rabid convert, this emotionally resonant, crisply played, superbly cast interpretation under William Christie and Les Arts Florissants is likely to shake up some of your ideas about the composer. On the surface, Alcina's Ariosto-based story about a sorceress whose spell is finally broken seems like the typically absurd fare of baroque opera. But as the story of misaligned loves unfolds in an incredible succession of some 28 arias, it's clear that these performers are reaching for deeper profundities present in Handel's music, so that Alcina really becomes a story of transformation in the fullest sense. And while Handel may have written for singers trained in ego but myopic to the larger artistic picture, the dream cast of divas gathered here seem to constantly be plumbing emotional truths--and how wonderfully they work as an ensemble, even through the pile-up of arias that is the score's substance. Just one example: consider how Renée Fleming makes Alcina's huge Act II aria "Ah! mio cor" a central epiphany and turning point of the opera. It defies belief that this is Susan Graham's first baroque opera, so rich is her variety of invention and deep her musicality as Ruggiero, the one to break free of Alcina's spell, while the spun-silk soprano of Natalie Dessay adds yet another color to the multitude of female voices that dominate here. Les Arts Florissants (taking an A pitch value of 415, for the record) play with constantly ravishing engagement, immediately apparent from the trill-happy overture. You don't want to miss this one. --Thomas May

Customer Reviews

Memorable night at the Palais Garnier
After giving us choice recordings of Handel' s Messiah, Orlando and Acis and Galatea, William Christie now turns his attention to Alcina, one of Handel's very best operas. For this great occasion he got some of the most famous divas of our time and it pays off handsomely. It really doesn't matter if Renee Fleming sounds more like a Strauss soprano, her ravishing voice is equally seductive in Handel, and she does give a great performance in the title role. Susan Graham is almost as good, even if she can't compare (no one can) with the young Teresa Berganza in the old Bonynge recording. Natalie Dessay sparks fireworks in her sensational coloratura aria "Tornami a vagheggiar" at the end of Act I. It seems she got the biggest applause of the evening. But it is the exquisite playing of Les Arts Florissants which deserves the highest praise. This is certainly one of the greatest opera recordings of the year.

Stars shine in Handelian Firmament
This recording was always going to be a bestseller - the unfeasibly starry casting would see to that - and it really lives up to its billing. Alcina has wonderful arias in spades but it takes real musical imagination to bring them to life as William Christie and his soloists do here. Yes, he pushes the ritenuti to the limit, and yes, the ornamentation occasionaly lapses beyond the strictly tasteful. But how well the performance captures the themes of the opera: the brittle decadence of Alcina's court - and the misery and loneliness at the centre of it all. The frisson of a live performance adds to the excitement - and I am sure the applause went on for much longer than it did here. The orchestral sound is agreeably robust but bright and accurate. There are some smashing obbligati. The cast is, rightly, dominated by the eponymous sorceress. Renee Fleming thwarts all those who question her ability as a Handel singer (and there are enough of them) by bringing her rich, bright soprano, her flawless dynamic control, her deeply satisfying musicality and an edge of bravura to her music. Bravura is not the word for Natalie Dessay's dazzling Morgana, agreeably plush of tone, really thoughfully characterised and - of course - breathtakingly saucy in altissimo. Susan Graham sings gloriously too (with some occasional tuning problems) but perhaps her Ruggiero could go further in terms of character - Alcina is not the only one soul-searching in this piece. As for the rest, only praise, especially for Kathleen Kuhlmann's artless execution of her florid music and Juanita Lascarro's characterful Oberto. So - well worth having - unless you are the kind of handel lover who can't bear non-authentic Handelian singers. It's an intoxicating record of some memorable music theatre and a real treat.

A recording to cherish
The operas of Handel are surely an acquired taste, the opera seria format seeming stiff and contrived to modern listeners. But if you develop an apetite for them, you may just find yourself becoming addicted. This new recording of "Alcina" could be just the ticket to start newcomers on the road toward falling in love with Handelian opera.

This is not the first complete recording of "Alcina." Two others, with Joan Sutherland and Arleen Auger in the title role, exist but are currently unavailable in the United States. However, this recording excels in making the characters human, the situations moving and valid, and the emotions palpable.

The first glory of the set is undoubtedly the singing of Renee Fleming in the title role. Her voice improves on her recorded predecessors by not only being exceptionally beautiful but irresistably sensuous as well. Her singing of Handel is a revelation, when her first aria is launched with a voice of fullness, warmth and creamy tone. This is no standard "period" soprano a la Emma Kirkby, but a real woman: Fleming believes in this character and her emotions, and makes her sympathetic to us. Her complete dramatic involvement make Alcina a living, breathing being, rather than a posturing cardboard nightingale.

Susan Graham is equally effective as Ruggiero, her voice as warm and beautiful as Fleming's. She may lack the full dramatic commitment to the character that Fleming has, but then Ruggiero is not as developed as Alcina. She does, however, contribute an exquisitely shaded and nuanced version of "Verdi prati."

Natalie Dessay's frequent excursions into the altissimo range may bother some purists (she caps "Tornami a vagheggiar" with a high F), but for my money her embellishments are right on for the flighty character of Morgana. Her voice remains sweet, clear, and slightly reedy, contrasting well with the other sopranos in the cast.

The rest of the cast is good, if without the degree of commitment and polish exhibited by the three leading ladies. Kathleen Kuhlmann repeats her Bradamante from the Auger set, sounding firm if rather unyielding in tone and with aspirated coloratura. Juanita Lascarro is light and pure as the child Oberto, although it would have been nice to have a boy soprano sing the part, as it was done in Handel's time. The men are also good, if unexceptionable. The chorus sings well but is difficult to understand.

William Christie shapes the performance beautifully; this may be his best work to date. Les Arts Florissants plays with energy and crisp ensemble, embellishing the da capos right along with the singers.

For those wary of live recordings, fear not. A few odd sonic balances aside, the sound is excellent, arias better than the recitatives. Applause comes at the end of each act, so the flow remains uniterrupted within the piece.

I wouldn't want to be without the two earlier recordings of "Alcina," but for an experience that makes the work vital and exciting, as well as a near-perfect reading of the title role by Renee Fleming, give this set a try.