Rinaldo, HWV 7 (1711)
George Frideric Handel (1685-1759)

Inga Kalna as Armida
Freibruger Baroqueorchester led by René Jacobs

Rinaldo was first performed at the Queen's Theatre in London's Haymarket on February 24, 1711. The role of Armida was written for Italian soprano Elisabetta Pilotti Schiavonetti (c. 1680-1742). Handel composed four roles for her and three of them were sorceresses. In addition to Armida, the other sorceresses were Medea in Teseo and Melissa in Amadigi di Gaula. The demands of these roles indicate that she had an exceptional voice capable of both dramatic power and technical agility.

Near the end of Act II Armida is torn between grief and anger as she laments her failure to attract Rinaldo.

ARMIDA:
Ah! crudel, il pianto mio
deh! ti mova per pietà!
O infedel al mio desio
proverai la crudeltà.

Ah, cruel one, my tears
please, may they move you to pity!
Oh, unfaithful to my desire,
you shall test my cruelty.

CD available from Harmonia Mundi:
[ Ссылка ]

Various artists’ depictions of Rinaldo and Armida:
[1:12] Gerard Hoet (1648–1733)
[1:50] Jacques Blanchard (1600–1638)
[2:05] Willem van Mieris (1662–1747)
[2:26] Louis-Jean-François Lagrenée (1725–1805)
[3:04] David Teniers the Younger (1610-1690)
[3:35] Attributed to Jerzy Siemiginowski-Eleuter (1660–1711)
[4:12] Giovanni Lanfranco (1582-1647)
[4:50] Giovanni Francesco Barbieri, Il Guercino (1591-1666)
[5:07] Nicolas Poussin (1594–1665)
[5:32] Cesare Dandini (1596-1657)
[6:26] Karl Ferdinand Sohn (1805-1867)

свернуть