When Rinaldo premiered in 1711, it cemented Handel at the forefront of London’s operatic landscape. To this day, it remains one of his most-revered works. Harry Bicket and The English Concert will be joined by an outstanding cast for an international presentation of Rinaldo in October.
The warrior hero of Handel’s Rinaldo battles sorcery as well as altogether more sensuous enemies. Rinaldo was Handel’s first Italian opera and this tale of witchcraft, warfare and passion took London by storm when it opened in 1711. Rinaldo Aryeh Nussbaum CohenAlmirena Mary BevanGoffredo Paula MurrihyEustazio Alexander ChanceArgante Ashley RichesArmida Rachael WilsonAraldo/Donna/Magician Andy Shen Liu
The warrior hero of Handel’s Rinaldo battles sorcery as well as altogether more sensuous enemies. Rinaldo was Handel’s first Italian opera and this tale of witchcraft, warfare and passion took London by storm when it opened – just around the corner from St Martin-in-the-Fields – in 1711. Rinaldo Aryeh Nussbaum CohenAlmirena Mary BevanGoffredo Paula MurrihyEustazio Alexander ChanceArgante Ashley RichesArmida Rachael WilsonAraldo/Donna/Magician Andy Shen Liu
The warrior hero of Handel’s Rinaldo battles sorcery as well as altogether more sensuous enemies. Rinaldo was Handel’s first Italian opera and this tale of witchcraft, warfare and passion took London by storm when it opened – just around the corner from St Martin-in-the-Fields – in 1711. Rinaldo Aryeh Nussbaum CohenAlmirena Mary BevanGoffredo Paula MurrihyEustazio Alexander ChanceArgante Ashley RichesArmida Rachael WilsonAraldo/Donna/Magician Andy Shen Liu
The warrior hero of Handel’s Rinaldo battles sorcery as well as altogether more sensuous enemies. Rinaldo was Handel’s first Italian opera and this tale of witchcraft, warfare and passion took London by storm when it opened – just around the corner from St Martin-in-the-Fields – in 1711. Rinaldo Aryeh Nussbaum CohenAlmirena Mary BevanGoffredo Paula MurrihyEustazio Alexander ChanceArgante Ashley RichesArmida Rachael WilsonAraldo/Donna/Magician Andy Shen Liu
Rinaldo’s triumphant premiere in 1711, replete with dramatic stage effects (including live birds), placed Handel at the forefront of the London opera scene. This concert performance brings the music and libretto of Rinaldo to life in one of Malta’s stunning baroque buildings. Handel Rinaldo Harry Bicket directorAryeh Nussbaum Cohen RinaldoRachael Wilson ArmidaPaula Murrihy GoffredoMary Bevan AlmirenaAshley Riches ArganteAlexander Chance EustazioAndy Shen Liu Araldo/Donna/Magician
The genesis of Handel’s Samson The season in which Handel premièred Samson, at Covent Garden Theatre on 18 February 1743, marked his final departure from Italian opera and his permanent turn to English word-setting. The last of his more than 30 Italian operas for London had been produced, to small enthusiasm, in 1741. During that summer he wrote Messiah, which …