Step into The Queen's Closet, a visionary 17th-century musical company tailored for the 21st century. Their mission is to bring the past to life for contemporary Aotearoa New Zealand. In the 17th century, music was vibrant, cutting-edge, and meant to be shared through singing and dancing. Utilising historical equipment and practices, The Queen's Closet revives early baroque music on its own terms, creating a profound connection with modern listeners. Embracing the spirit of innovation, The Queen's Closet performs as if each composition is being heard for the first time. For this year's Classical on Cuba, The Queen’s Closet have developed a cycle of three exciting new ‘mini-operas’ entitled Furioso. Ludovico Ariosto’s 1532 epic poem, Orlando Furioso, has been the inspiration for dozens of operatic adaptations across centuries. Their mini-operas tell three parts of Ariosto’s tale, involving overlapping casts of knights and warriors, sorceresses and princesses…and a hippogriff. As the first mini-opera in their series, this bite-sized retelling of Francesca Caccini’s 1625 opera, La Liberazione di Ruggiero dall’isola d’Alcina is a tale of enchantment and revenge. Come and find out what the enchantress Alcina has been up to, and how the knight Bradamante conspires with sorceress Melissa to rescue her beloved Ruggiero and her cousin Astolfo from Alcina’s clutches! From the cornetto to the sackbut, their first mini-opera takes audiences to the colourful world of some of the earliest Italian opera.