RINALDO di Haendel/Leo

Georg Friedrich Händel, Leonardo Leo (et al.)
RINALDO

Dramma per musica by Giacomo Rossi
Based on a script by Aaron Hill taken from Gerusalemme liberata by Torquato Tasso
Naples version, 1718
Critical edition and reconstruction by Giovanni Andrea Sechi

Recorded live July 29th, Aug 2nd and 4th, 2018
Martina Franca - Palazzo Ducale

First performance in modern times, 1st world recording

Conductor, Fabio Luisi
Director, Giorgio Sangati
Scenes, Alberto Nonnato
Costumes, Gianluca Sbicca
Lights, Paolo Pollo Rodighiero

Orchestra La Scintilla
Stage director Grazia Nigri

Rinaldo, Teresa Iervolino
Armida, Carmela Remigio
Goffredo, Francisco Fernández-Rueda
Almirena, Loriana Castellano
Argante, Francesca Ascioti
Eustazio, Dara Savinova
Lesbina, Valentina Cardinali
Nesso, Simone Tangolo
Araldo di Argante, Dielli Hoxha*
A Woman-shaped Spirit, Kim-Lillian Strebel*
Whizard, Cristiano Ana Victória Pitts*

Mimes: Alessio Arzilli, Andrea Bellacicco, Alessandro Colaninno,
Cristiano Parolin, Marco Risiglione, Jacopo Sorbini
Prologue girl Eliana Cantore

Available on CD-DVD.BLURAY on DYNAMIC, Italy
Worldwide distribution: Naxos.com

DVD Code: 37831 (2 DVDs)
Barcode: 8007144378318

BLURAY Code: 57831 (1 Bluray disc)
Barcode: 8007144578312
HD master Audio

Category: OPERA / Sung in: Italian
Video Format/ Aspect ratio: NTSC – 16:9
Audio Format: PCM 2.0 - Dolby digital 5.1
Subtitles: Ita, Eng, Fre, Ger, Jap, Kor
Notes: Ita / Eng
Region code: 0 – All regions
Duration: 216 min.


For the first time in modern times, Festival della Valle d'Itria stages the neapolitan version of Handel's RINALDO, a pastiche with a mediterranean allure which Leonardo Leo assembled in 1718 and which was considered lost until a few years ago.
The story behind this most rare opera is captivating: the score of Handel’s masterpiece was illegally brought to Naples by the castrato singer Nicolò Grimaldi, who first interpreted Rinaldo in London. Once in Italy, the work was rehashed by Leo as well as other local composers, who adapted it to the taste of the local neapolitan public, adding some intermezzos and amusing characters.
Director Giorgio Sangati turns this work into a “ba-rock” opera set in the 1980’s, where the struggle between Christians and Turks becomes a battle between pop-rock singers (the Christians) and dark-metal ones (the Turks). These two factions represent two opposite perspectives on love and life.

Conductor Fabio Luisi is at the head of the baroque Ensemble La Scintilla Zürich, a group of specialists in the baroque repertoire.
Excellent reviews for the vocal cast who endured an almost 4 hour performance, special mentions to Carmela Remigio (Armida) who was defined “vocally majestic and most convincing in her acting skills”, whereas Teresa Iervolino (Rinaldo) impressed the critics for her vocal and acting skills en travesti and her ability “to convey all the melancholic shades of Handel’s music” (Luca Ciammarughi, classicaviva.com).