Handel's Ariodante

The stage director offers a reflection on gendered roles and deceptive appearances, as the title role is played by a singer in drag—the excellent Cecilia Bartoli—first dressed as a man and then as a woman before becoming a hermaphrodite, wearing a dress and smoking a cigar. The mezzo-soprano virtuosically alternates between plaintive melody and joyful singing. Performing alongside her is young American soprano Kathryn Lewek, who plays the role of the princess, described as a “real discovery” by Swiss newspaper Neue Zürcher Zeitung. Accompanied by the ensemble Les Musiciens du Prince-Monaco, the artists perform in a theatrical setting and dance to the Baroque-inspired choreography of Andreas Hesie. Collectively, these elements make this opera a real triumph, confirmed by the loud applause and cheers of the audience!