Rinaldo
George Frederic Handel
From a scenario by Aaron Hill
Conductor: David Bates
Director: Julia Burbach
Royal Academy of Music Opera
Photo credit: Craig Fuller
It’s probably best to ignore the tortuous plot of the thirty-one-year-old Handel’s 1711 opera. It’s always pretty obscure: The Magic Flute meets A Midsummer Night’s Dream. And in this version it becomes even more incomprehensible than usual owing to a framing device which sets it at a 21st century book launch (I think!) and then has six performers acting it out against a steeply raked white box. I was no wiser at the end than at the beginning. But musically it’s exquisite and this production runs with that in spades.
All six of the cast (two casts – two performances each) that I saw were strong with exceptional work from counter tenor Agustin Pennino as the anguished, titular Rinaldo. Every note and every word was placed with precision. Caroline Blair, soprano, found sauciness and pain in Almirena, especially in the well known Lascia ch’io pianga which she sang with sad warmth building nicely through the repeats.
Pavel Basov comes from Russia and has a wonderfully deep bass voice. He’ll make a fine Boris Goodanov one day. His take on Cupid (pink jumper, wings and socks) was great fun and he’s a stage commanding actor. There was, however, some blurring of clarity at the bottom of his register.
Best of all, perhaps, was the work in the pit where conductor David Bates smiled, mouthed, encouraged, and looked after his singers with benign authority. And the playing from Royal Academy Sinfonia was terrific with especially lovely work from Felix Hesse on bassoon. You can’t beat a baroque trumpet and Reuben Anelay, Sasha Canter, Iris Rushbrooke and Luella Shaw really brought this lovely music to life.
At the end, Bates took the entire orchestra on stage for an enthusiastic curtain call with the cast which was a delightful touch and richly deserved.
