Handel: Rinaldo

The first opera ever written specifically for the London stage when it was premiered in 1711, Rinaldo has been a regular feature in the modern revival of Handel's operas. Based on Tasso's epic La Gerusalemme liberate, the opera combines a love story with a spectacular backdrop of the First Crusade. The composer borrowed generously from his own earlier works as he created this score, but the resulting music is Handel of the finest vintage. This characteristically flamboyant production by Pier Luigi Pizzi involves punchy lighting and striking costumes, while Federico Maria Sardelli conducts the orchestra of the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino and a fine, predominantly Italian cast.