Rinaldo – HWV 7

Composed and premiered in 1711 in London, Rinaldo, an opera in three acts, was wildly successful. Handel wrote the opera in about two weeks, using fragments from his cantatas in Rome. Aaron Hill, in charge of the opera house at Haymarket and eager to show off all the stage effects at his disposal, hired Handel and librettist Giacomo Rossi to set a highly enriched and edited (by Hill himself) version of Torquato Tasso’s poem La Gerusalemme Liberata, an epic of the First Crusade. This operatic tale of trickery and love triangles is set against the backdrop of the larger battle of good versus evil, expressed through Handel’s music and lavish stage spectacle, and this opera became the most premiered piece in his lifetime.

Our characters: Goffredo, the leader of the crusades and Christian army; his daughter, Almirena; Rinaldo, a hired warrior; Goffredo’s brother, Eustazio; a magician; Argante, King of the Saracen’s; Armida, a sorceress in league with Argante.

The opera begins with the Christian army nearly victorious. Rejoicing in their upcoming and assured victory, Rinaldo declares his love for Almirena to her father, whose affections are returned as Almirena buoys Rinaldo up for his upcoming battle. Introduced with a thrilling fanfare, Argante requests a ceasefire, and Goffredo, thinking himself the generous victor, agrees.

But an evil plan is afoot. Argante, in league with the sorceress Armida, conjures her up in a feverish fantasy (Vieni, o Cara), and in a whirlwind of both instrumental writing and astonishing vocal effects, Armida arrives on her chariot, hatching a plan to lure Rinaldo away and abduct Almirena. With trickery and expert lip-synching, Rinaldo and Almirena are both ensorcelled by Argante and Armida. In an attempt to save them, Goffredo and his brother Eustazio visit a magician, who gives them magic wands which remove the beguiling spells Armida has cast. In the last moments, Armida converts to Christianity, her devious magic no match for the faith and true love exhibited by the victors; and a final chorus unites the conquered and conquerors.

Even more rapturous than this tale of magic wands and monsters in disguise is the music that Handel writes in this enterprising opera; from the intimacy and heartbreakingly beautiful moments of Lascia ch’io pianga, arguably one of Handel’s most famous arias, to the show-stopping and awe-inspiring energy and coloratura from Armida and Rinaldo in their respective arias. Not only do the voices have their moments in the spotlight, as one might expect with opera; Handel creates space for instrumental storytelling to sell the magic: flourishes of notes from the harpsichord propel Armida’s rage and resolve of triumph; the violin answers Rinaldo’s cry for tempests to help him in his revenge; flutes and bird calls enchant Almirena and aid in her abduction. It is abundantly clear in this first opera why Handel became known for his exceptionally melodic writing, and why this opera endures today.

© Eleanor Legault 2025