She Did It First

She Did It First
La Bella by Palma Vecchio, Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum

Will the real Alcina please stand up? For opera fans, the Alcina that comes to mind is the seductive sorceress and titular role in George Frideric Handel's 1735 opera seria, based on the Italian epic by romantic Renaissance poet Ludovico Aristo. Mixing history with high fantasy, Aristo’s tale follows a chivalrous knight during Holy Roman Emperor Charlemagne's campaign to defend Christianity against the Saracen army. Magicians and maidens interfere, and a hero even takes a ride upon a hippogriff — the mythical mare with the wings and head of an eagle that was invented by Aristo, long before it was borrowed by J.K. Rowling for "Harry Potter."

Handel also wrote "Orlando" and "Ariodante" based on the poem, but back in 1625, Italian composer Francesca Caccini had already staged the material in her comic piece "The Liberation of Ruggiero from The Island of Alcina" — the first opera written by a woman. In Caccini's tale of romantic rivals and gender-bending, wandering knight Ruggiero (the one who rides the hippogriff) falls under the love spell of the wicked witch Alcina, and must be saved by the good witch Melissa, disguised as a man. "Alcina" (Francesca’s Version) will be at Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center in Great Barrington, Mass., on Friday, June 23, and Saturday, June 24, as part of the Boston Early Music Festival.

Latest News

Mountaineers keep kicking in state tournament

Ava Segalla, Housatonic Valley Regional High School's all-time leading goal scorer, has takes a shot against Coventry in the Class S girls soccer tournament quarterfinal game Friday, Nov. 7.

Photo by Riley Klein

FALLS VILLAGE — Housatonic Valley Regional High School’s girls soccer team is headed to the semifinals of the state tournament.

The Mountaineers are the highest seeded team of the four schools remaining in the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference Class S playoff bracket.

Keep ReadingShow less
Legal Notices - November 6, 2025

Legal Notice

The Planning & Zoning Commission of the Town of Salisbury will hold a Public Hearing on Special Permit Application #2025-0303 by owner Camp Sloane YMCA Inc to construct a detached apartment on a single family residential lot at 162 Indian Mountain Road, Lakeville, Map 06, Lot 01 per Section 208 of the Salisbury Zoning Regulations. The hearing will be held on Monday, November 17, 2025 at 5:45 PM. There is no physical location for this meeting. This meeting will be held virtually via Zoom where interested persons can listen to & speak on the matter. The application, agenda and meeting instructions will be listed at www.salisburyct.us/agendas/. The application materials will be listed at www.salisburyct.us/planning-zoning-meeting-documents/. Written comments may be submitted to the Land Use Office, Salisbury Town Hall, 27 Main Street, P.O. Box 548, Salisbury, CT or via email to landuse@salisburyct.us. Paper copies of the agenda, meeting instructions, and application materials may be reviewed Monday through Thursday between the hours of 8:00 AM and 3:30 PM at the Land Use Office, Salisbury Town Hall, 27 Main Street, Salisbury CT.

Keep ReadingShow less
Classifieds - November 6, 2025

Help Wanted

Weatogue Stables has an opening: for a full time team member. Experienced and reliable please! Must be available weekends. Housing a possibility for the right candidate. Contact Bobbi at 860-307-8531.

Services Offered

Deluxe Professional Housecleaning: Experience the peace of a flawlessly maintained home. For premium, detail-oriented cleaning, call Dilma Kaufman at 860-491-4622. Excellent references. Discreet, meticulous, trustworthy, and reliable. 20 years of experience cleaning high-end homes.

Keep ReadingShow less