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 second mini-opera in the series, Love and madness feature in this condensed rendition of Jean-Baptiste Lully’s sumptuous opera Roland (1685). You won’t be able to take your eyes off of the lovely Angelique… but only the fair Medor may have her heart. This sets the unfortunate knight Roland—otherwise known as Orlando—on a descent into jealous madness. Intrigue, double-crosses and romance are brought to life by the lush colours and textures of Lully’s early French baroque music.