"Händel with care": opera and storytelling on 28 February 2026
On Saturday 28 February at 7:00 pm, the Fucina Culturale Machiavelli hosts the second appointment of the "Händel with care" series, a cycle of events dedicated to one of the most fascinating composers in the history of music: Georg Friedrich Händel. German by birth, trained in Italy and later naturalised English, Händel was a true citizen of the world, capable of blending different influences into a brilliant and immediate musical style, still able today to move audiences deeply.
The evening focuses on Händel's operatic music, with a rich, carefully built programme. The vocal protagonists will be soprano Alice Fraccari and mezzo-soprano Maria Giuditta Guglielmi, under the direction of Enrico Bissolo. The set list includes arias from some of the composer's most famous operas: "Rinaldo" — with the timeless "Lascia ch'io pianga" — "Alcina" and "Aci, Galatea e Polifemo". Framing the voices, a series of instrumental pieces: overtures from the operas themselves, other pages from suites composed for special occasions, such as the famous Water Music, written to be performed on a barge along the Thames.
But this is not just a traditional concert. Making the evening even more engaging will be the storytelling of presenter Stefano Soardo, who will guide the audience through Händel's life and world with a lively narrative accessible to everyone, including those without specific musical training. A format designed to bring classical music closer to a wider audience, in a welcoming and informal setting like the Fucina.
Worth knowing: the series continues the next day, Sunday 1 March, with an appointment dedicated to families: "The Great Journey of Little Händel" debuts, a concert-show for younger audiences, in two slots at 4:00 pm and 5:30 pm.
Tickets for the evening of 28 February can be purchased online at fucinaculturalemachiavelli.com or directly at the box office from one hour before the start. Prices are: full €14, reduced under-30s and over-70s €12, partner schemes €10, under-18s €8.