The IU Jacobs School of Music Opera and Ballet Theater has now demonstrated its excellence in baroque opera with a stunning production of “Alcina,” which premiered Feb. 7-8. George Frideric Handel’s composition is a masterful exploration of magic, love and human frailty. Under the direction of Chas Rader-Shieber, the production brought a fresh and inventive perspective to this 18th-century opera.
The IU Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Marzio Conti, provided a richly expressive and stylistically informed performance, breathing life into Handel’s intricate score. With a magnificent and detailed set and costume design by Robert Perdziola, lighting design by Russell Long and meticulous attention to detail from the entire production team, the staging of “Alcina” was an inspiring visual and musical performance.
Handel’s “Alcina” is a tale of illusion and transformation, based on Ludovico Ariosto’s epic poem “Orlando Furioso.” The opera follows Bradamante, who, disguised as her brother Ricciardo, arrives on the island of the sorceress Alcina in search of her fiancé, Ruggiero. Alcina, whose powers allow her to seduce and then discard lovers by turning them into animals or plants, has bewitched Ruggiero. As Bradamante attempts to break the spell, Alcina’s illusions begin to unravel, revealing the fragility of her own emotions. At the end, Ruggiero is freed, Alcina’s power is destroyed and her magical world collapses, leaving behind a profound sense of loss.
The plot was represented very well by the cast and crew, with incredibly detailed sets and marvelous staging choices. The set helped carry visions of buildings, settings, architecture and even clothing from pre-Victorian times to the modern day, bringing the opera’s story and plot down to earth, to our modern understanding of humanity.
Director Rader-Shieber found a direct translation into the magical world of Alcina herself.
“Alcina’s magical island is the world of the theater itself,” he wrote. “She uses its elaborately painted visions and surface beauty to trap and imprison the men she so desperately needs to feed her desire to be loved. Once the illusion is discovered, revealed, and ultimately destroyed, her true nature is ours to see — sad, but profoundly human.”
This interpretation clearly brought out the opera’s themes of deception, desire and self-revelation, provoking reflection on the role of art as both an escape and a mirror of reality.
The program notes by Kitt Westerduin, a doctoral student in musicology, provided rich historical context for the opera. Westerduin highlighted how “Alcina” marked a turning point in Handel’s career, reviving his reputation after a period of commercial struggle. The notes also explore the opera’s deep emotional complexity, particularly in the arias, such as “Ah! mio cor,” which reveals the sorceress’s inner turmoil as she transitions from seduction to despair. Westerduin notes that the music masterfully balances the conventions of a serious opera with striking dramatic realism, making “Alcina” one of the composer’s most powerful works.
“The set was amazing, and I loved how its degradation reflected Alcina’s gradual loss of power throughout the show,” Jacobs Master of Music student and vocalist Preston Rogers said.
The thoughtful staging, historically informed performance style and deeply expressive interpretation of Handel’s score created a production that was both enchanting and emotionally resonant. By framing the illusions of “Alcina” within the artifice of the theater, Rader-Shieber and his creative team made a centuries-old opera feel strikingly relevant.
“Baroque opera doesn’t typically see the MAC stage,” Rogers said. “Baroque music has different technical demands for musicians, and being exposed to it in an educational setting is crucial.”
As the final notes faded and Alcina’s world dissolved before our eyes, the audience was left with a bittersweet reminder of the power — and impermanence — of illusion in love and in art.
