A Special Place in Music and Vision 1 maggio

A Special Place GIUSEPPE PENNISI was in Ravenna for the revival of a successful production of Handel's 'Rinaldo' In times of financial stringency, it pays to play it safely and to be, at the same time, original. Three theatres in Central Italy (Ravenna, Reggio Emilia and Ferrara) have revived a production of Handel's Rinaldo which, originally presented in 1985, has travelled to as many as eighteen major opera houses in Europe and in Asia. Thus, it has well amortized its production costs, at least its elaborate sets, costumes and machinery. In Europe, between 1985 and 2005, Rinaldo has been seen in Milan, Paris, Lisbon, Madrid, Geneva, Venice and several opera houses in smaller cities. It was a major hit even in Seoul, where it played in a huge oversized house, even though the production had been originally conceived for the elegant but not very large Teatro Romolo Valli in Reggio Emilia. This revival uses the impressive stage sets and costumes of 1985 but differs from the original production in two fundamental aspects. Firstly, as Handel himself used to do, it interpolates musical numbers borrowed from his other operas -- Handel composed at least two versions of Rinaldo, and secondly, it uses a specialized baroque orchestra with instruments as similar as feasible to those of 1711-1731 (when the two best known versions of Rinaldo had their premieres in London, at the Queen's Theatre and at the King's Theatre, respectively). From left to right: Maria Grazia Schiavo as Almirena, Roberta Invernizzi as Armida and Marina De Liso in the title role of Handel's 'Rinaldo'. Photo © 2012 Ravenna Festival. Click on the image for higher resolution It may very well be that Rinaldo's new travels will reach other cities and theatres in Italy and abroad. It would be a jewel for summer festivals in many countries, especially for those emphasizing baroque music. I was at the tour opening night on 20 April 2012 in Ravenna's Alighieri Theatre. This review is based on that performance. Maria Grazia Schiavo as Almirena (left) and Marina De Liso in the title role of Handel's 'Rinaldo'. Photo © 2012 Ravenna Festival. Click on the image for higher resolution Rinaldo has a special place in Handel's work: it is his first Italian opera composed especially for the London stage, rather than being an adaptation of previous works. The combination of an elaborate series of bewildering scenic effects with a strong cast and music of great passion, brilliance and sensuality made it a sensation for the London 1710-11 season. It was often revived during the following seasons (each time with some modifications to fit the artists available) and nearly completely re-written in 1731, mostly to reduce the extravagant scenic demands. The current version is the joint effort of the stage director (and designer of sets and costumes) Pier Luigi Pizzi and of the musical director Ottavio Dantone (founder and leader of the internationally known baroque ensemble Accademia Bizantina). They have cut the length of the opera drastically (from some five hours in the 1711-31 versions to two hours and a half) and 'borrowed' from other Handel operas. It is well known that in the eighteenth century, people dined, drank, played cards and even dated during a lengthy opera evening, just to get musically excited when their favorite singers had their acrobatic musical numbers. Today, the pace of life is faster and people go to the opera to follow the performance. Roberta Invernizzi as Armida (left) and Riccardo Navarro as Argante in Handel's 'Rinaldo'. Photo © 2012 Ravenna Festival. Click on the image for higher resolution Baroque operas are not often performed in Italy, due both to their vocal and scenic requirements and to the Italian specific national musical tradition. However, they do attract a younger audience than melodrama and verismo do probably for their abstract unrealistic nature as well as for the emphasis on music and singing, and rather overt sensuality. Rinaldo is broadly based on Torquato Tasso's poem Gerusalemme Liberata. But the plot (tormented love affairs and battles during the first Crusade) is no more than a pretext for 'very special' theatrical effects and singing. Also, there is no psychological development of the main characters -- either Christians or Muslims. It is just pure music and pure singing in an ever-changing scenery designed to stupefy the audience. Roberta Invernizzi as Armida (left) and Riccardo Navarro as Argante in Handel's 'Rinaldo'. Photo © 2012 Ravenna Festival. Click on the image for higher resolution Pier Luigi Pizzi solved the scenic demands -- ie open stage transformations, forests, castles and battles around Jerusalem's wall -- by using sophisticated and, at the same time, simple machinery: the basic tenement of Japanese Kabuki with elaborate props handled by stage-hands. In this review, the photos provide an idea of the sensational effects, especially in the second part where the front stage depicts the sea, while in the rest of the stage Armida's castle of pleasures and sins is transformed (without any curtain falls) into a forest in the grotto of a devout Christian magician, in the battlefield around the walls of Jerusalem. This is done with constructed stage elements, not with computerized projections. Roberta Invernizzi as Armida in Handel's 'Rinaldo'. Photo © 2012 Ravenna Festival. Click on the image for higher resolution Rinaldo's stage direction, however, calls for young singers who can handle acrobatic acting and vocalizing. Dantone's Accademia Bizantina handled that. A few words on the orchestra: slender, essential with very good trumpets and a period harpsichord. This was wanting in the 2005 La Scala performances where a large orchestra and modern instruments were utilized. Dantone and his colleagues gave a sensual rendering of the score -- almost caressing the audience and always supporting the singers' difficult tasks. The battle scene from Handel's 'Rinaldo'. Photo © 2012 Ravenna Festival. Click on the image for higher resolution In the 1711 and 1731 editions the title role was conceived for a castrato -- respectively Nicolini and Senesino. In the current production it is sung by a young mezzo, Marina De Liso; from her first aria, Ogn'indugio d'un amante, she acquitted herself quite well; she also sings and fences with the Saracens while riding a horse. The chief of staff of the crusaders' army is the Polish tenor Krystian Adam: Handel's arias give him a lot of vocalizing and some difficult legato, but he excels in the duets. In the men's group, the writing for his opponent, the Saracen chief of staff and king of Jerusalem, Argante, is quite remarkable. Sung by baritone Riccardo Novaro, this is a memorable character right from his cavatina or starting aria Sibilar gli angui d'Aletto to his duet with Armida and final duel with the Christians. Krystian Adam as Goffredo (right) and Marina De Liso in the title role of Handel's 'Rinaldo'. Photo © 2012 Ravenna Festival. Click on the image for higher resolution However, Rinaldo is a women's opera. The dominant character is Armida (Roberta Invernizzi), the first of a line of Handel's formidable sorceresses (such as Alcina). She gives an immediate sense of fiery sexual passion with her cavatina Furie terribili. Her sensuality reappears in her great aria Ah! Crudel, il pianto mio, introduced by oboe and bassoon solos; she had a long open stage applause. On the other hand, Almirena, Rinaldo's fiancée to be married, is sweet and tender (Maria Grazia Schiavo). She received ovations after the aria Lascia che io pianga mia cruda sorte, borrowed by Handel from his Rome oratorio Il Trionfo del Tempo sul Disinganno. She enthralled the audience in the charming birdsong aria Augelletti, che cantate. At the curtain close, there were nearly fifteen minutes of ovation. Copyright © 1 May 2012 Giuseppe Pennisi, Rome, Italy GEORGE FRIDERIC HANDEL RAVENNA ITALY PIER LUIGI PIZZI << M&V home Concert reviews Allegri Quartet >>