Grammy-winning American countertenor Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen takes on the title role, with Mary Bevan as Almirena. Joining them onstage are countertenor Andy Shen Liu, mezzo-soprano Rachael Wilson, and regular TEC collaborators Paula Murrihy, Alexander Chance, and Ashley Riches.

The project will tour East Asia, visiting Shanghai, Beijing, and Incheon, with an additional excerpts recital in Macau. On 24 October, TEC will bring the opera to St Martin-in-the-Fields, just around the corner from the London theatre where it started life 314 years ago.

This is an enchanting opera of seashores and mountains, witchcraft and warfare; not to mention some of Handel’s finest melodies for voice and orchestra. The very first performance in the 18th century included flying birds. What this version lacks in live animals, it will make up for in soaring melodies and flying hearts.

Director Harry Bicket says: “Rinaldo was not only Handel’s first operatic success in London, but one of the first Handel operas I ever conducted professionally, 25 years ago in Munich. It is a kaleidoscope of hit arias, each more virtuosic and colourful as the opera progresses.”

Concert Schedule

Keep Reading
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The English Concert return to North America with a major Handel opera project. This time, the lesser-known Hercules HWV60, directed by Harry Bicket, a noted interpreter of the work.
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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.
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This month’s pick has been selected by TEC keyboard player, Tom Foster.
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