Atalanta

Why do aristocrats go incognito in search of true love, only to feel obliged in the end to renounce it for reasons of social standing? The answer, of course, is simple: otherwise there would be one Handel opera fewer! The fact that the festive opera "Atalanta", composed for a real aristocratic wedding — that of the English heir to the throne Frederick Louis of Hanover and Princess Augusta of Saxe-Gotha-Altenburg — is relatively seldom performed today is probably due less to its exquisite music than to its rather outdated plot.

It was one of George Frideric Handel’s great triumphs at the Royal Theatre, Covent Garden. The libretto recounts the hunt for the Calydonian boar, as told in Ovid’s "Metamorphoses": the mighty creature can only be defeated when Atalanta, Princess of Arcadia, strikes it with her arrow. Before that dramatic climax unfolds, several amorous entanglements develop — between Atalanta, disguised as the shepherdess Amarilli, and the mysterious Tirsi, who is in fact King Meleager in disguise, as well as between the shepherd Aminta and his clever lover Irene, whose relationship is riddled with jealousy and misunderstanding.

All this takes place in a mythical, pastoral landscape of glades and mountains, where hunters, shepherds, nymphs, and villagers revel together. The interplay of personalities and disguises, combined with a rich array of costumes, gives rise to endless confusions and secret plots.

In the final scene, Mercury, the messenger of the gods, blesses the couples and assures them of lasting happiness amid the love of their people. True to the occasion, Handel designed the finale as a dazzling sequence of jubilant choruses and festive instrumental music — a veritable musical fireworks display to crown the anniversary celebrations of the Festwochen.

As tradition has it, singers who have distinguished themselves in the "Pietro Antonio Cesti" Singing Competition will take on the tangled romances and hunt for the legendary boar: Silvia Porcellini, Oda Nysæter, Justina Vaitkute, Peter Edge, third-place winner Pierre Gennaï, and 2025 winner Salvador Simão.

The directing team will already be familiar to Innsbruck audiences: François de Carpentries and Karine Van Hercke created a striking visual world with "La fida ninfa", which captivated both critics and the public. Andrea Buccarella conducts, leading the orchestra of the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis — an ensemble that impressed audiences at the Cesti Competition with its vitality and finesse.

Join the singers and musicians of our Barockoper:Jung to celebrate Handel’s pastoral comedy about two young couples who must pretend to be someone else before they can truly find themselves. It promises to be a splendid celebration!