Ariodante at the Royal Opera of Versailles: a Baroque work exploring love, power, and betrayal.

The Royal Opera of the Palace of Versailles presents Handel's Ariodante from December 5 to 11, 2025: a Baroque masterpiece combining romantic drama, political intrigue, and dances inspired by the opera-ballet of Versailles.

An opera where the heart wavers as much as destiny...The Royal Opera of the Palace of Versailles invites you to immerse yourself in medieval Scotland, amid betrayals, thwarted passions, and baroque splendor, with Handel's masterpiece Ariodante, to be discovered from December 5 to 11, 2025.

In a sumptuous setting, the audience is transported to the heart of a royal drama without magic or gods, but nourished by powerful feelings, romantic conspiracies, and theatrical dances inspired by the Versailles model.

Ariodante à l'Opéra Royal de Versailles : une œuvre baroque entre amour, pouvoir et trahison — ©Edouard Brane

A Baroque tragedy in the heart of Scotland

Handel composed Ariodante in 1735 for the opening of the opera season at Covent Garden. The opera is inspired byAriosto'sOrlando Furioso and depicts the troubled love affair between Ariodante, a valiant knight, and Ginevra, daughter of the King of Scotland. The couple is violently tested by the machinations of Polinesso, who is determined to seize power and hearts through deception. The setting? A royal, fictional, intense, and symbolic Scotland, made up of mysterious gardens, palaces, and melancholic ruins.

This new production bythe Opéra Royal de Versailles —presented on four dates—brings together a cast of renowned artists from the Baroque repertoire. Countertenor Franco Fagioli plays a tortured and noble Ariodante, alongside Catherine Trottmann as Ginevra, Théo Imart as the scheming Polinesso, and Gwendoline Blondeel, Laurence Kilsby, and Nicolas Brooymans in supporting roles.

A staging crafted in the spirit of the venue

Director Nicolas Briançon explores the dramatic universe of the work with a sober and tense approach, drawing on his previous stage adaptation at the Philharmonie de Paris. Set designer Antoine Fontaine offers a reversible and evocative stage design, made of painted canvases, chiaroscuro, and a trompe-l'oeil wooden stage floor, to recreate the visual intimacy of an opera conceived as a closed setting.

Pierre-François Dollé's choreography is inspired by the dance entertainment of the Grand Siècle, with sequences that embody the emotions of the libretto. From festive balls to tormented visions, the dancers ofthe Royal Opera's Baroque Dance Academy punctuate the acts with movements designed to move rather than to reconstruct. The whole is supported bythe Royal Opera Orchestra, conducted by Stefan Plewniak, which restores all the richness of the score in its orchestral flights and finely crafted vocal lines.

An experience to be enjoyed by lovers of history, art, and theater.

If you are fascinated by Baroque theater, early music, or follow the careers of virtuoso countertenors, this production will offer you a rare moment where historical rigor meets contemporary sensibility. It is also an ideal opportunity for a sophisticated outing for two, an artistic interlude with friends, or a solo cultural exploration in a place steeped in history. The hushed and prestigious atmosphere ofthe Royal Opera House provides the perfect setting for lovers of immersive performances and sensitive recreations of the Baroque repertoire.

However, if you are looking for a light, fast-paced outing with a focus on humor or interactivity, Ariodante will not meet your expectations. This show requires a certain amount of concentration, attention to musical details, and an appetite for internal drama and subtle musical constructions.

A musical journey to the heart of passions according to Handel.

With Ariodante, Handel offers an ambitious synthesis of French and Italian tastes. Each act concludes with a ballet, each character evolves in a moving space where music becomes the expression of the soul. Franco Fagioli, well known to Versailles audiences, finds himself in a tailor-made role, vocally demanding and dramatically dense. At his side, Théo Imart, a revelation from William Christie's Jardin des Voix, embodies a Polinesso who is as seductive as he is cruel.

This production is part ofthe Royal Opera's ongoing work to bring 18th-century masterpieces back into the spotlight in ambitious stage versions. In a world where emotion is rare, this plunge into a reconstructed past promises wonder, reflection, and musical beauty.

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