Word: rinaldo
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...party invitation most fervently fished for, and least frequently hooked, was to a dinner dance last Thursday given by Italy's Ambassador to Washington, Rinaldo Petrignani. Though the Reagans could not attend, it was held in honor of their "friends from California," and virtually everyone on the guest list was required to meet both qualifications. Among those who did: Betsy Bloomingdale, the First Lady's best chum; Publisher Walter Annenberg and his wife Leonore; Attorney General William French Smith and Wife Jean...
George Frideric Handel. For almost 30 years, while the operatic vogue was at its peak, Handel was the unquestioned master of the form. Despite his historic eminence, however, he was neglected by the Metropolitan Opera until last week, when it finally staged Rinaldo...
...patented sword-and-breastplate roles. It is scenically spectacular, full of the kind of deus ex machina theatricality that so delighted baroque audiences: dragon-drawn chariots fly through the air belching smoke, monsters writhe, and looming castles collapse in a heap of rubble. Bright and vivid, Rinaldo is a bauble for the eye; as sung by an imposing cast that includes Bass Samuel Ramey and Soprano Benita Valente, it is a treat for the ear. But whether it serves Handel or the thorny cause of baroque opera faithfully is moot...
...production is essentially a vehicle for Home, in a title role composed for a castrate. The outlines of Handel's opera are preserved in the plot, which concerns the struggle for the Holy Land between the Crusaders, led by Rinaldo, and the Saracens, under Argante (Ramey) and the sorceress Armida (Soprano Edda Moser). But Martin Katz, Home's longtime accompanist, has conflated the 1711 and 1731 versions, trimming the recitatives, shortening some arias, shuffling others and even adding a duet from Handel's Ad-meto. It may be argued that Katz is only following a convention...
Still, the production, conducted by Mario Bernardi, has its attractions. No one can match Home in her nimble negotiation of the florid vocal line; she overwhelms its difficulties with an awesome display of rapid-fire articulation. As Al-mirena, Rinaldo's lover, Valente's limpid, graceful soprano contrasts appealingly with Ramey's dashing, formidable bass...