G.F. Handel Rinaldo

Federico Maria Sardelli conducts a lavish 1985 Pier Luigi Pizzi production at Maggio Musicale Fiorentino.

In Torquato Tasso’s epic La Gerusalemme liberata, on which Händel’s masterpiece Rinaldo is based, the tale of the attempted seduction of the hero by the enchantress Armida is told against the backdrop of the First Crusade. Musicologists agree that Händel did a major cutand- paste job on Rinaldo, as more than two thirds of his 1711 score was cribbed from earlier works.

This particular production by Pier Luigi Pizzi, conceived in 1985 for Teatro Romolo Valli in Reggio Emilia, has traveled since to some twenty major opera houses worldwide. Discounting practical cuts and a few displacements of musical numbers, its durable attraction lies in the gorgeous costumes and scenery, a stylish paragon of Hyperbaroque eschewing both literalism and cheap provocation.

This lavish production is performed at Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, which was the first theatre to reopen after lockdown. The set design and direction perfectly respond to the current safety measures.

Original title RINALDO
Genre Opera
Recording location Teatro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino
Recording date September 2020
Production year 2021
Duration 132 min. approx.
Video format 4K
Audio format PCM Stereo and 5.1
Production Company Dynamic
Composer G.F.Handel
Orchestra / Band Orchestra del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino
Conductor Federico Maria Sardelli
Stage Director Pier Luigi Pizzi
Soloist Carmela Remigio (Armida)
Soloist Leonardo Cortellazzi (Goffredo)
Soloist Francesca Aspromonte (Almirena)
Soloist Raffaele Pe (Rinaldo)
Soloist Andrea Patucelli (Argante)
Soloist Shixun Li (Araldo di Argante)
Soloist Marilena Ruta e Valentina Corò (Donna/Due sirene)
Soloist William Corrò (Mago Cristiano)