Older Master Musicians And Younger Student Musicians To Celebrate Fantasy And Humanism Of Gluck And Handel

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GLUCK'S FANTASTICAL IPHIGENIE EN TAURIDE LIVE IN HD FROM THE MET -- THIS WEEKEND!

HANDEL’S FANTASTICAL ALCINA IN CONCERT AT THE S.F. CONSERVATORY – FREE!

"A sorceress, a magic island, enchanted plants and animals, and at the heart of it… a love story. It’s George Frederic Handel’s 1735 opera Alcina, presented in a concert version at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music on Saturday, March 5 and Sunday, March 6. Featuring students from the Conservatory’s acclaimed Historical Performance program, Alcina is led by the Conservatory Baroque Ensemble’s co-directors, Corey Jamason and Elisabeth Reed, with stage direction by Kathy Cathcart. Admission is free, though tickets are required.

Alcina is a sorceress who bewitches men into loving her before turning them into stones, animals and plants. The hapless knight Ruggiero falls under Alcina’s spell, only to be rescued by his fiancée Bradamante. “Although the tale is at first glance somewhat incredible, it is in truth a very modern story which explores love in all its different aspects,” says Jamason. “And it’s filled with astonishingly beautiful music.”

Aside from the chance to hear exquisite music while supporting talented young singers as they begin their careers, this production of Alcina offers a glimpse into the Conservatory’s burgeoning Historical Performance program. Over the last several years this program has grown by leaps and bounds, presenting early music through the Baroque Ensemble as well as through faculty concerts, guest artist appearances and master classes by celebrated artists such as countertenor David Daniels, trumpeter Gabriele Cassone and Jeffrey Thomas, director of the American Bach Soloists. Each spring the program focuses on one large-scale composition, usually an opera by Handel, the most successful opera composer of his day."

Photo credit: Iphigenie en Tauride (c) Ken Howard/Metropolitan Opera 2011.