The English Concert

Karina Gauvin (Alcina), soprano
Lucy Crowe (Morgana), soprano
Elizabeth DeShong (Bradamante), mezzo-soprano
Paula Murrihy (Ruggiero), mezzo-soprano
Alek Shrader (Oronte), tenor
Wojtek Gierlach (Melisso), bass

A season highlight not to be missed! London’s renowned Handel specialists The English Concert, directed by insightful conductor Harry Bicket, makes its long-awaited return to Cal Performances with a concert presentation of Handel’s masterpiece Alcina.

An allegorical fantasy packed with love triangles, romance, and mistaken and misrepresented identities, Alcina takes place on an enchanted island where discarded lovers are transformed into wild beasts and trees.

Canadian soprano Karina Gauvin, one of the world’s leading Baroque interpreters, sings the title role, portraying Handel’s beguiling and tragic sorceress; she is joined by American mezzo-soprano Elizabeth DeShong (playing the trouser role of Bradamante) and British soprano Lucy Crowe (in the high-flying virtuoso role of Morgana).

“Bicket, leading the ensemble from the harpsichord, drew a lithe, detailed and richly expressive account of this great score from the first-rate players. The ovations were enormous. The audience seemed not just excited but also grateful” (The New York Times).