Alessandro
Holland Performing Arts Center 1200 Douglas St Omaha | NE 68102
Featuring The English Concert
Part romance, part pageant, pure Handel. On their limited US tour, The English Concert presents Alessandro. Brimming with vocal athletics and unparalleled musicianship, Handel’s Alexander the Great juggles a love triangle with global conquest and political conspiracy.
This rarely seen Handel opera has only been performed in the United States once before now. The world’s peerless Baroque orchestra brings this rare gem to Omaha with authentic period instruments and vocal fireworks.
Synopsis
Act I
On campaign in India, Alexander the Great narrowly escapes death while besieging the city of Oxidraca, rescued at the last moment by his steadfast general Clito. In his camp, two princesses worry and compete for his favor. Lisaura, a Scythian royal, and Rossane, a Persian captive whose courage has captivated the conqueror, both love Alexander and chafe at his indecision. The Indian ally Tassile arrives with news that Alexander lives, a relief to both women but a torment for Tassile, who secretly loves Lisaura. At Jupiter’s temple, adulation inflames Alexander’s pride. He allows himself to be hailed as the god’s son until Clito protests. Anger flashes and a death sentence is threatened, but pleas for mercy win a fragile truce as jealousy and politics begin to pull the court apart.
Act II
Alexander continues to court both women and to postpone a choice. Rossane appeals to his generosity and begs for freedom. He fears losing her yet grants it, revealing the tug-of-war between magnanimity and possessiveness. Meanwhile Leonato and disaffected officers plot to remove a leader they now see as megalomaniac. In a grand assembly, Alexander declares he will parcel out his conquests among his captains and keep only immortal glory. Clito again denounces the blasphemy of a living god. As Alexander is about to strike him, a rigged collapse interrupts the scene. No one is harmed, which Alexander reads as divine favor, and Clito is hauled to prison. Hearing a rumor that Alexander has been killed, Rossane weeps in genuine despair. Alexander overhears her grief, recognizes her love, and resolves to choose her. Alarms from Oxidraca send him back to the field while every faction recalculates its chances.
Act III
Leonato frees Clito and briefly jails the toady Cleone before conspirators and loyalists polarize the army. Alexander returns determined to marry Rossane and gently releases Lisaura from hope, pointing her toward Tassile, whose devotion has earned both gratitude and a bride. The mutineers move from whispers to open battle. Tassile’s troops steady the line, the revolt fails, and the would-be usurpers beg for mercy. Alexander pardons them, confirms Rossane as his queen, and blesses the match of Lisaura and Tassile. The victor’s final act is clemency, and the court hails a ruler who has learned to balance ambition with generosity.
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