Chivalric misadventure and the madness of unrequited love – Orlando follows intertwining, intense relationships across the themes of love, war, and insanity.
Directed by Sinéad O’Neill and conducted from the harpsichord by experienced Baroque specialist Christopher Moulds, this new production features period-instrument orchestra Academy of Ancient Music.
Coming by train?
Hop aboard the Hedgehog!
In partnership with brilliant local bus service the Hedgehog, we’re now offering a shuttle service from Moreton-in-Marsh station to our theatre.
The service will depart from Moreton-in-Marsh 90 minutes before the performance start time, to arrive at Longborough shortly after the grounds open. It will return to Moreton following the performance end time.
The opera opens with the mage, Zoroastro, reading Orlando’s fate in the stars. Zoroastro prophecies that Orlando will relinquish love and fulfil his warlike destiny. Orlando enters, full of torment and indecision, torn between desperate love (for the great queen, Angelica) and his duty as a warrior.
Dorinda, a humble shepherdess, looks about her and remembers how much she once enjoyed the beauties of the woods. She can’t understand her feelings and wonders whether she might be in love. When she sees Orlando rescuing a princess, she recognises in him a fellow sufferer from love’s pangs.
Angelica, queen of a distant land and the object of Orlando’s affections, is also in love: she fell in love with the wounded warrior, Medoro, while nursing him back to health in Dorinda’s house. Dorinda – who also loves Medoro – suspects there is something between him and Angelica, but Medoro denies it. Medoro assures Dorinda that, although he has to leave with his ‘relative’ Angelica, yet he will never forget Dorinda.
Dorinda is heartbroken to find that although she enjoys his tenderness, she cannot believe him.
Zoroastro warns Angelica to beware of Orlando’s vengeance. Angelica decides to try and discover if Orlando is in love with the princess he rescued, which would let her off the hook. When Orlando finds her, she pretends to be jealous and demands that he prove his fidelity to her alone by sending the princess far away. Orlando is only too happy to oblige, promising to do absolutely anything to prove his love for Angelica.
Medoro is jealous when he sees Angelica and Orlando together, but Angelica persuades him not to pick a fight with such an indomitable and dangerous warrior.
Angelica and Medoro profess their love for each other, and are overheard by Dorinda, who is heartbroken to have her suspicions confirmed. They try, and fail, to console her.
INTERVAL (30 minutes)
To Dorinda, the nightingale’s song expresses her own feelings of grief and love. As she is listening, Orlando confronts her, and she discloses to him that Angelica has taken up with another man, Medoro, whom she herself also loves. She shows Orlando a gift that Angelica and Medoro gave her, and Orlando is enraged to see that it is a bracelet he himself had given to Angelica.
Zoroastro warns Angelica and Medoro that they are in terrible danger, and they decide to flee. Medoro calls on the forest to preserve forever the memory of their love and carves their names again and again in the trunks of the trees. Angelica bids a sorrowful farewell to the beautiful, leafy grove.
When Orlando, hot on their trail, finds the carved names, he becomes ever more furious.
He glimpses Angelica and chases her. Medoro runs after them. They all become lost in the forest and Orlando loses his reason and is overcome by a vision of Hell.
INTERVAL (90 minutes)
Angelica and Medoro have become separated. They each, separately, return to their agreed rendezvous at Dorinda’s house. Medoro gets there first. He bares his heart to Dorinda and confesses that he cannot love her. Dorinda tells him to hide from Orlando, just before Orlando bursts in, hallucinating and frightening Dorinda. No sooner has he left, than Angelica arrives, looking for Medoro. The two women share their fears and Dorinda comes to understand how painful love can be.
Zoroastro tells us that a storm is approaching, but that all will be well once it has passed. Angelica, still searching for Medoro, comes across Dorinda, and Dorinda breaks the terrible news to her that Orlando has killed Medoro. While Angelica is taking in this dreadful information, Orlando rushes towards her in a violent rage, calling for her blood and finally murdering her. Having killed both the lovers, Orlando’s rage abates and he falls asleep.
Despite Dorinda’s frightened pleading not to disturb this violent madman, Zoroastro uses magic powers to heal Orlando and wake him from his sleep. Orlando is horrified to discover what he has done. He begs for death, but instead, Zoroastro brings Angelica and Medoro back to life. Orlando accepts their union, and all agree that the greatest heroism is that of he who triumphs over his own inner demons. Orlando is forgiven, and all praise both glory and love.
