In the 1734–1735 season, Handel produced both Ariodante and Alcina at Covent Garden. The libretti of the two operas illustrate two episodes from Orlando furioso (Orlando Enraged 1516/32) by Ludovico Ariosto (1474–1533). This wonderful epic poem, which takes liberties with customary images from the age of knights and chivalry, provided a model over several hundred years for the heroic-comic narrative verse genre. A ‘drama per musica’ in three acts, Alcina is taken from the sixth and seventh cantos of Orlando furioso. Handel appears to have composed this opera at the time he was embroiled in fierce disputes with a rival theatre company in April 1735 but on the 16th of the same month already, Alcina received its first performance. Despite adverse circumstances at the time of its production, few of Handel’s stage works were performed more often or gained more acclaim than Alcina.