The warrior knight Orlando (Bejun Mehta) is madly in love with Angelica (Kimberly Jones), Princess of Cathay. Angelica and the shepherdess Dorinda (Erica Schuller) both love Prince Medoro (Emily Fons). Deception and chaos reign. Can the sorcerer Zoroastro (David Govertsen), benevolent guardian of Orlando, save the day?
Handel’s astonishing theatrical sensibility turned Ariosto’s epic Orlando Furioso into an operatic tour-de-force, exploring themes of heroism, love, and insanity through experimental musico-dramatic forms considered cutting-edge at its 1732 premiere.