On her enchanted island, Alcina reigns supreme, beholden to none but her own pleasure. She bewitches men to keep them close, at least until she grows weary of them and turns them into animals or rocks. At least that’s what people say. Why else would a man give himself over to a powerful woman? Magic must be to blame.

In Alcina’s embrace, Ruggiero has forgotten his past and Bradamante’s love. When Bradamante turns up on the island to get him back, she’s disguised as a handsome young man with whom Alcina’s sister, Morgana, quickly falls in love. The jealous Oronte then unleashes a series of schemes, and before long, no one knows which declarations of love can be believed. In this maze of emotions, Bradamante alone remains true to her plan to defeat Alcina’s spells. As for Alcina, she begins to realise how devastating it would be for her to lose Ruggiero.

Though Alcina’s world may be but an illusion, Handel’s sumptuous music embodies the true nature of human emotions. Behind the panache of baroque fantasy, the opera deftly sketches the portrait of a woman who uses all her power to attain her desires. But is the freedom to love as we please so dangerous that it can only exist on a distant island?

Stage director Ewelina Marciniak has earned recognition in recent years for her work on identity and her refreshing takes on classical works of theatre and opera. She invites us to explore Alcina’s world — a place where anything is possible, where desire can blossom outside the accepted norms and the logic of possession. She also questions our ability to imagine the possibility of freedom, which is so frightening for some that they suspect it must be a ruse. The enchanting Karine Deshayes, four-time winner at the Victoires de la Musique Classique, plays the sorceress, guided by musical director and proud ambassador of the Handel repertoire, Emmanuelle Haïm.