The Show

In 1707, at age 22, a young genius named George Frideric Handel moved to Italy and composed a stunning cantata, experimenting with musical and dramatic forms. Clori, Tirsi e Fileno was never staged and, when the composer died, it was thought lost to history.

In the 1960s, a single complete copy was discovered in Germany. In 2012, Volcano and Classical Music Consort will reimagine Handel’s love-triangle for Toronto audiences and present the Canadian Premiere staging at the iconic Gladstone Hotel.

A Synonym for Love is a fusion of past and present. With a modernized English libretto and a live Baroque orchestra playing period-specific instruments, three singers will seduce their audiences as they travel through the hallways, bedrooms, bathrooms and bars of the Gladstone Hotel exploring the inevitability – and the impossibility – of love.

3 lovers
10 musicians
1 unforgettable night at The Gladstone Hotel



A Synonym for Love is made possible through the generous support of: