In the detective work of conceiving a new staging we found most inspiration in the life of the librettist Giacinto Cicognini and in the times he wrote this piece. Cicognini’s relationship with royal courts was fraught to say the least. His father committed suicide because of intrigues within the House of Medici, and in 1646 Cicognini fled Florence for Venice. The exact cause of his flight is unknown. It’s been suggested that it may have been due to a violent altercation at a horse race that thoroughly disgusted the dramatist into self-imposed exile. What is safe to say is that he was by no means a fan of court culture. These were gilded playgrounds for the wealthy and powerful to engage in violent intrigues, roll in wealth, and sleep around without fear of consequence.

The world of Orontea is a satire of the world he escaped. A tangle of absurd love affairs dominate the lives of the rich and powerful. Cheating, drinking, wild infatuations, and rash violence are not below those at the top. By contrast, it’s the characters at the bottom of society that Cicognini gives so much heart and depth to. The fool Gelone has more arias to sing that Orontea, and he and the page Tibrino are given as much psychological dignity as the queens and courtiers - this is a statement. 

We also looked into royalty of the time. Queen Christina of Sweden in particular, who visited Innsbruck shortly before the opera’s premiere there struck us as a fascinating character study. She boldly chose not to marry and to not provide heirs. On top of this we read reports of her being more interested in her studies than the life of a woman of regality, sleeping 3 - 4 hours a night, and running around Europe in men’s clothes and uncombed hair. A prototypical Orontea with a spirit for us to admire and aspire to capture on stage.

The opera sets a challenge of dramatically motivating the instant infatuations of the characters to each other. Particularly to the arrival of Alidoro, an artist on the run. The clue lay in the prologue. Amore and Filosofia bicker over who is greater, culminating in a challenge – Amore will fly to Egypt to the court of Orontea to prove his power. Our Amore is both a charming rascal and, to quote Theodulf of Orleans, “a demon of fornication.”

Suddenly under Amore’s spell this court became a place of reckless theatrical abandon. The characters are Amore’s playthings in a world where Love proves his eternal ability to drive us mad.