Furioso

Xavier Sabata & le Concert de l'Hostel Dieu

Love can drive you crazy… And indeed, that is the lot that befalls the medieval hero Orlando. His quests lead him not only onto battlefields and through magic forests, but also to the abyss of his mind. When his love for Princess Angelica goes unanswered, the wandering knight gradually loses his grip on reality…

The epic poem Orlando furioso by Ludovico Ariosto (1474 – 1533) is one of the most influential works in Renaissance literature. It also left its mark on the history of opera: the raging knight was allocated a leading role in works by Antonio Vivaldi and George Frideric Handel, but also by lesser-known baroque composers like Agostino Steffani, Nicolà Porpora and Johann Joseph Flux. Accompanied by Le Concert de l’Hostel Dieu, countertenor Xavier Sabata hoists himself into the armour of this furious hero, and proves that grand baroque arias can also sound insanely beautiful on an intimate recital podium.