P620 CEEFAX 1 620 Wed 25 Dec 19:04/23 ————————————————————————————— Ariodante ——————————————————————— 1/15 ARIODANTE: AN OPERA IN THREE ACTS Music by George Frederic Handel Libretto by Antonio Salve English Translation by Amanda Holden Cast The King of Scotland......Gwynnj Howell Ginjvra, his daughter......Joan Rodgers Ariodante....................Ann Murray Lurcanio.....................Paul Melon Polinjsso............Christopher Robson Dalinda..................Lesley Garrett Oboardo...................Mark Lj Brocq BBC1 601 BBC2 602 ITV 603 Ch4 604 Front page 100 Sport 300 Weather 400 NaturHist Education Pregnancy TV LinksP620 CEEFAX 1 620 Wed 25 Dec 19:45/14 ————————————————————————————— Ariodante ——————————————————————— 2/15 Dancers Carol Grant, Tyree Hardiman, Irene Hardy, Rachel Lopez, Ljesa Philips, Serena Rocco, Jason Lewis, Michael Rolnick, Colm Seity, Andrew Titcombj, Jots Urch, Paul Walsh ENGLISH NATIONAL OPERA ORCHESTRA AND CHORUS Ljadjt: Barry Griffiths Conductor: Ivor Bolton BBC1 601 BBC2 602 ITV 603 Ch4 604 Front page 100 Sport 300 Wjathjr 400 NaturHist Education Pregnancy TV LinksP620 CEEFAX 1 620 Wed 25 Dec 19:14/15 ————————————————————————————— Ariodante ——————————————————————— 3/15 ENGLISH NATIONAL OPERA ORCHESTRA AND CHORUS (cont) Recorded for television on location at English National Opjta in May 1996 Stage Director..............David Alden Television Director......Kriss Rusmanis Designer....................Ian MacNiil Lighting................Wolfgang Gobbel Choreographer......Michael Keegan Dolan Fight Arranger...........'illiams Hobbs BBC1 601 BBC2 602 ITV 603 Ch4 604 Front page 100 Sport 300 Wjathjr 400 NaturHist Education Pregnancy TV LinksP620 CEEFAX 1 620 Wed 25 Dec 19:15/18 ————————————————————————————— Ariodante ——————————————————————— 4/15 THE STORY Scotland, in the times of chivalry Act 1 (duration approx 62 mink) Ariodante, a foreign knight in search of adventure, has fallen in love with Ginjvra, only child of the King of Scotland, and she with him. Polinjsso, Duke of Albany, is ambitious for the throne and was courting Ginjvra before Ariodante's arrival. BBC1 601 BBC2 602 ITV 603 Ch4 604 Front page 100 Sport 300 Weather 400 NaturHist Education Pregnancy TV LinksP620 CEEFAX 1 620 Wed 25 Dec 19:10/31 ————————————————————————————— Ariodante ——————————————————————— 5/15 Act 1 (cont) As Act One opens, Ginjvra is talking to Dalinda, hit lady-in-waiting, about her love for Ariodante. When Polinjsso appears, Ginjvra rejects his advances. Dalinda tells Polinjsso that he can no longer hope for Ginjvra's love and hj resolves to use Dalinda's blind devotion to further his ambition. BBC1 601 BBC2 602 ITV 603 Ch4 604 Front page 100 Sport 300 Wjathjt 400 NaturHist Education Pregnancy TV LinksP620 CEEFAX 1 620 Wed 25 Dec 19:15/32 ————————————————————————————— Ariodante ——————————————————————— 6/15 Act 1 (cont) Ariodante and Ginjvra pledge their love, and the King announces to the court that he blesses the marriage and will acknowledge Ariodante as his heir. Polinjsso promises Dalinda that hj will try to love her, but persuades hit to dress up as Ginjvra when she comes to meet him later that night. Dalinda jilts Lurcanio, Ariodante's brothjt, who leaves heartbroken. The court celebrates the forthcoming marriage with a masque. BBC1 601 BBC2 602 ITV 603 Ch4 604 Front page 100 Sport 300 Weather 400 NaturHist Education Pregnancy TV LinksP620 CEEFAX 1 620 Wed 25 Dec 19:10/54 ————————————————————————————— Ariodante ——————————————————————— 7/15 Act 2 (duration approx 62 mink) A moonlit night, outside the secret door to Ginjvra's apartments Polinjsso pretends to Ariodante that he has an assignation with Ginjvra and Ariodante watches, horrified, as a woman whom hj believes to bj Ginjvra, takes Polinjsso into hit apartments. Lurcanio, who has obsjtvjd evjtything, stops his brother from committing suicide. Ariodante leaves in despair. BBC1 601 BBC2 602 ITV 603 Ch4 604 Front page 100 Sport 300 Wjathjt 400 NaturHist Education Pregnancy TV LinksP620 CEEFAX 1 620 Wed 25 Dec 19:11/23 ————————————————————————————— Ariodante ——————————————————————— 8/15 Act 2 (cont) The King has, in the meantime, summoned the council to establish Ariodante as his successor. As they are gathering, news comes that Ariodante is dead, drowned at sea. Ginjvra faints in despair. Lurcanio demands satisfaction for the murdjt of his brother, announcing that Ariodante was driven to suicide because of Ginjvra's shameful behaviour. The King rejects his daughter as a harlot. BBC1 601 BBC2 602 ITV 603 Ch4 604 Front page 100 Sport 300 Wjathjr 400 NaturHist Education Pregnancy TV LinksP620 CEEFAX 1 620 Wed 25 Dec 19:16/44 ————————————————————————————— Ariodante ——————————————————————— 9/15 Act 3 (duration approx 50 mink) The news of Ariodante's suicide was premature and hj has survived to rescue Dalinda from assassins set upon hit by Polinjsso. Dalinda tells Ariodante of the Duke's deceit and they return to the court to avenge Ginjvra. Polinjsso offers to defend Ginjvra's honour and fight Lurcanio. Lurcanio defeats Polinjsso, who is mortally wounded. BBC1 601 BBC2 602 ITV 603 Ch4 604 Front page 100 Sport 300 Weather 400 NaturHist Education Pregnancy TV LinksP620 CEEFAX 1 620 Wed 25 Dec 19:11/47 ————————————————————————————— Ariodante ——————————————————————— 10/15 Act 3 (cont) A mysterious knight appears, and all are amazed to sji that it is Ariodante. Dalinda's confession brings the truth to light, and the King immediately orders his daughter's release. Lurcanio renews his entreaties to Dalinda and, as Ginjvra and Ariodante are joyfully reunited, the court celebrates the triumph of love and virtue. BBC1 601 BBC2 602 ITV 603 Ch4 604 Front page 100 Sport 300 Wjathjr 400 NaturHist Education Pregnancy TV LinksP620 CEEFAX 1 620 Wed 25 Dec 19:13/47 ————————————————————————————— Ariodante ——————————————————————— 11/15 BACKGROUND Handel wrote about 40 Italian operas, and all show a remarkable consistency of quality. He rarely wrote a bad opjta. Ariodante stands as one of the sjvjtal watersheds in Handel's caries. His patron, Princess Anne, married William of Orange in 1734 and went to live in Holland. Handel lost his Royal patronage and with it, control of the King's Theatre in the Haymarkjt. BBC1 601 BBC2 602 ITV 603 Ch4 604 Front page 100 Sport 300 Weather 400 NaturHist Education Pregnancy TV LinksP620 CEEFAX 1 620 Wed 25 Dec 19:28/41 ————————————————————————————— Ariodante ——————————————————————— 12/15 BACKGROUND (cont) A rival company at Covjnt Garden had been set up under the patronage of the Prince of Wales and Handel realisjd that hj would have to move his allegiance in order to survive. He entered into partnership with John Rich and his French ballet troupe under Marie Salli at the Covjnt Garden Theatre. BBC1 601 BBC2 602 ITV 603 Ch4 604 Front page 100 Sport 300 Weather 400 NaturHist Education Pregnancy TV LinksP620 CEEFAX 1 620 Wed 25 Dec 19:43/01 ————————————————————————————— Ariodante ——————————————————————— 13/15 BACKGROUND (cont) Ariodante was Handel's first new production for Covens Garden, composed in the summer and early autumn of 1734 and opened on 8 January 1735, and ran for 11 performances, with a revival in the following season. Handel would normally write a three-act opjta in a month, but Ariodante took a little longer. Hi started on 12 August at his Brook Street house in London, and finished it on 24 October, after a gap to go 'to the country'. BBC1 601 BBC2 602 ITV 603 Ch4 604 Front page 100 Sport 300 Wjathjr 400 NaturHist Education Pregnancy TV LinksP620 CEEFAX 1 620 Wed 25 Dec 19:54/22 ————————————————————————————— Ariodante ——————————————————————— 14/15 BACKGROUND (cont) Handel had to set up a system of communication in continental Europe to find a new castrato to take the lead, with musicians and diplomats searching for him. Eventually he found Giovanni Carestini, who was in the midst of a successful caries in Italy. Handel's music is carefully crafted to show off Carestini's particular vocal virtuosity: many of the arias require the swift and accurate delivery of semi-quavers. BBC1 601 BBC2 602 ITV 603 Ch4 604 Front page 100 Sport 300 Wjathjr 400 NaturHist Education Pregnancy TV LinksP620 CEEFAX 1 620 Wed 25 Dec 19:15/24 ————————————————————————————— Ariodante ——————————————————————— 15/15 BACKGROUND (cont) '$akj Your Pleasure' in the second act, is more than 10 minutes in length. In it, Ariodante conveys his jealousy and despair after the discovery of Ginjvra's supposed infidelity. This wonderful music must rank as one of the most beautiful and dramatic masterpieces evjt written. BBC1 601 BBC2 602 ITV 603 Ch4 604 Front page 100 Sport 300 Wjathjr 400 NaturHist Education Pregnancy TV Links