Organization

Singer

Countertenor

Sonia Prina

Rinaldo

Tenor

Varduhi Abrahamyan

Goffredo

Tim Mead

Eustazio

Soprano

Brenda Rae

Armida

Conductor

Ottavio Dantone

Stage director

Robert Carsen

Costume designer

Gideon Davey

Set designer

Lighting designer

Peter van Praet

Choreographer

Philippe Giraudeau

Dramaturge

Ian Burton

Christophe Gayral

Oliver Mercer

A herald

Bass

Riccardo Novaro

Argante

William Towers

Christian magician

Charlotte Beament

First mermaid

Rebecca van den Berg

Second mermaid

Anett Fritsch

Almirena

Orchestra

Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment

Glyndebourne

Italian

United Kingdom

Opera House

Ebert Room

Handel’s Rinaldo—an opera in three acts first premiered at London’s Queen’s Theater in 1711—is brought to life in a thoroughly contemporary flavor in the Glyndebourne Festival’s 2012 production.

In 1710 Handel arrived in England to oversee the production of his first London opera, Rinaldo, which premiered at the Queen’s Theatre in Haymarket on February 24th, 1711, the day after his 26th birthday. A theatrical spectacular with arias included as a bonus, the plot focuses on the adventures of a knight on a crusade to rescue his love. The sunny and boisterous Rinaldo contrasts sharply with Handel’s mature operas like Ariodante or Alcina.

In 2011 Glyndebourne presented the opera for the first time. The production features a wildly originally staging by Robert Carsen that calls to mind the famous and beloved literary wizard, Harry Potter: Rinaldo is recast as a misfit student, outcast by his peers, who dreams of being a hero. The mixture of dream and reality, threaded through with contemporary references to J.K. Rowling’s magical world, ground Carsen’s Rinaldo in a remarkably modern world, one that is sure to delight and entrance its audiences!

Rinaldo (Handel), 2011
Carsen’s schoolroom staging brings out all the energy in Handel’s Rinaldo.

Lewes

Lacrosse sticks and flying bicycles bring contemporary chic to this timeless fantasy of warriors and witches in Robert Carsen’s fun-filled transformation of Handel’s first London triumph. Conducting from the keyboard just as Handel himself did, Ottavio Dantone leads a youthful cast of today’s luminaries in the dramatic art of Baroque opera; the "affecting" Sonia Prina, the "unadorned intensity" of Anett Fritsch and "fire-breathing flair" (The Observer) of Brenda Rae.

Rinaldo by G.F. Händel from Glyndebourne Festival Opera, performed at Glyndebourne Festival Theatre, Glyndebourne, 2011. Directed by Robert Carsen, conductor Ottavio Dantone. Starring Sonia Prina (Rinaldo), Anett Fritsch (Almirena), Brenda Rae (Armida), Luca Pisaroni (Argante), Varduhi Abrahamyan (Goffredo), Tim Mead (Eustazio), Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, Ottavio Dantone.

Rinaldo Händel

Public

English

Approved

Rinaldo was the first Italian opera to be presented on the London stage, and the 2011 Festival production marks the opera's first production at Glyndebourne.

The Archive holds a wealth of material about the people, productions and origins of our world-renowned opera house. Come and see curated exhibitions and find out what’s new in the Glyndebourne Archive.

Rinaldo by Händel, From (2011/2011), Directed by Robert Carsen, Christophe Gayral,, Conductor Ottavio Dantone, Opera House, Glyndebourne, United Kingdom

Performance credits (Cast & Crew )

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