In 1713, Grazio B. Braccioli, a lawyer by training, developed a libretto based on Ludovico Ariosto's (1474 - 1533) epic poem, Orlando furioso. Ariosto's poetry had become a favorite of madrigal composers in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries; Orlando furioso experienced a similar popularity with composers of opera. Braccioli's libretto, set to music by Giovanni Alberto Ristori and entitled Orlando furioso, was a great success and Braccioli was contracted to write another libretto based on Ariosto's epic. This time, however, the composer was to be Vivaldi. Entitled Orlando finto pazzo, the finished product would be Vivaldi's second opera.

Vivaldi's Orlando finto pazzo was staged in the fall of 1714 at the Teatro Sant' Angelo in Venice. (The dedication of the libretto is dated November 10, 1714.) By all accounts it was a failure, and Vivaldi rewrote many numbers. Thirteen years later, Vivaldi again picked up Braccioli's libretto, adapting it to new music. Nearly all of the recitatives he maintained intact, but almost all of the arias he wrote anew. We do not know for certain who was responsible for the numerous changes in Braccioli's libretto; we can only assume it was Vivaldi, who may have been assisted in his dramaturgic decisions by Lucia Lancetti. The new work, entitled simply, Orlando, benefits from the composer's increased experience in the theater and was first performed sometime late in 1727 at the Teatro Sant' Angelo in Venice.

Because Vivaldi's original version of Orlando is about six hours long in performance (typical of its time), it is usually given in heavily edited versions. Cuts are also made for most recordings.

Braccioli chose only segments from Ariosto's epic that take place on Alcina's magical island, wisely limiting the setting. He gleaned events from different cantos of the epic and deftly arranged them to produce a continuous narrative. In his "Preface to the reader" of the 1713 libretto, Braccioli notes, "At its beginning, middle, and end are the love, the madness, and the recovery of Orlando. The loves of Bradamante and Ruggiero, Angelica and Medoro, the various inclinations of Alcina, and diverse passions of Astolfo serve to accompany this action and lead it to its end."

Thus, we find two strains of narrative in the opera, each supported with contrasting music. The secondary characters and their interactions follow a traditional course of alternating recitatives and arias. Orlando's plight, however, is developed chiefly through dramatic recitative. This is not to say that the character has no arias. Two of his arias, in fact, are perfect examples of the "dramatic-rage" aria: "Nel profondo" and "Sorge l'irato nembo." In general, however, Orlando delivers his lines in a frenetic recitative, climaxing in the third act, in which there are almost no arias. Vivaldi's alternation of contrasting rhythmic and harmonic elements creates impressive dramatic scenes conveying Orlando's temporary insanity. Throughout Orlando, we find a great variety of expression from Vivaldi, particularly in Alcina's ironic "Vorresti amor da me?" and Astolfo's angry "Dove il valor combatte."

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