Rinaldo

Opera by Handel

Ganz Hall at Roosevelt University:

425 S Wabash Ave, Chicago, IL 60605

During the First Crusade in the 11th century, the Christian knight Rinaldo is serving under the leadership of Goffredo in the siege of Jerusalem. Goffredo declares that, if the Christian forces capture the city, Rinaldo may marry his love, Goffredo’s daughter Almirena. However, Argante, the king of Jerusalem, will not be so easily defeated thanks to his lover, Armida. She is not only the Queen of Damascus but also a sorceress who intends to prevent the Christians’ victory by removing Rinaldo from the picture. To achieve this, she magically abducts Almirena from Rinaldo’s arms.

Desperate to regain his love, Rinaldo seeks out magical assistance of his own, but falls into Armida’s trap, effectively deserting Goffredo’s army. However, as in any Baroque opera seria worth its salt, love tends to follow captivity; Argante is weakened by affection for the captive Almirena and Armida swoons at the captive Rinaldo’s defiance and laments his lack of interest. These shifting affections cause a rift between Argante and Armida.

Meanwhile, Goffredo and his brother Eustazio bring the full force of their army to rescue Rinaldo and Almirena, but need a bit of magic assistance to overcome Armida’s powerful monsters and enchantments. The strongest force at Armida’s disposal, however, is revenge; she intends to kill Rinaldo’s true love, Almirena, to punish him for rejecting her, then transfer her efforts toward the whole Christian army. In the final showdown, Rinaldo, Almirena, Goffredo, and the rest of the Christian army must overcome malice and power with virtue and love.
Rinaldo is Handel’s first Italian opera written for the London stage, where he would build an impressive reputation. The exciting variety of special effects and magical scenarios is only matched by the variety in Handel’s blend of Italian, French, and English musical styles.