About the work
Ariodante is an opera seria in three acts by George Frideric Handel, set to a libretto adapted from Antonio Salvi's text "Ginevra, Principessa di Scozia" (1708), itself inspired by Ludovico Ariosto's epic "Orlando furioso". Handel composed the work between August and October 1734 for his new company at Covent Garden Theatre; it premiered on 8 January 1735, with King George II and Queen Caroline in attendance.
Plot
The Scottish knight Ariodante loves Princess Ginevra, but the scheming Duke Polinesso has her maid Dalinda, disguised as Ginevra, admit him to her chamber to convince Ariodante of infidelity. In despair, Ariodante throws himself from a cliff but secretly survives. Ginevra is condemned to death for her supposed betrayal until Dalinda's confession and Ariodante's return reveal the truth and clear her name.
Cultural significance
For the title role Handel wrote three extended bravura arias for the castrato Giovanni Carestini, adding ballet interludes for the Paris-trained dancer Marie Sallé at the close of each act. Queen Caroline found the work too "pathetic and gloomy" for her taste; only the historically informed revival at Milan's Piccola Scala in 1981 restored the opera's reputation.