Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Rinaldo from Munich, 21 Jan 2004
By A Customer
This must be one of the most imaginative and fun productions of a Handel opera currently available on DVD or video. Despite initial reservations about apparently-esoteric and illusive stage decorations, meanings and explanations gradually emerge and David Alden's production does justice to the (mostly) stellar quality of the singing. A dream cast of David Daniels, Deborah York and Naomi Nagelstadt, to name but 3, show how Handel should be sung and acted today. Within this traditional tale of love, war, temptation and redemption we also find, thanks to Alden, all the latent comedy within the libretto stylishly exposed. There are some wonderful set-pieces where imaginative staging helps along the story, yet when Handel's sublime music demands our full attention to the greatest arias - Cara Sposa, Laschia e pianga, Or la Tromba - they are left alone and the singers are allowed to give full rein to their talents. Daniels' rendition of the achingly beautiful Cara Sposa is worth the price of the DVD alone.
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2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Handel Humbug, 23 Sep 2007
Initially I considered granting this DVD-recording of Handel's Rinaldo from Munich, 2001, two stars. One for each of the two sole redeeming features of the production: the glorious singing of David Daniels and the spirited conducting of Harry Bicket. As a whole however, the production lacks any overall, unifying concept, let alone purpose, and as the stage design can only be described as a vicious attack on the senses, I finally settled for just the one star.
Musically, David Daniels's interpretation of the title part has, if anything deepened since the justly famed recording of the opera under Christopher Hogwood. Daniels sings with a formidable technical proficiency, and has developed into a singularly expressive artist - for the moment only rivalled in his `Fach' by the German countertenor Andreas Scholl. The rest of the cast ranges from adequate to downright unacceptable. Deborah York sings the part of Almirena competently, but with a monochrome, whitish timbre that in the long run becomes tedious. Eglis Silins as Argante is efficient but crude; Noemi Nadelmann forgettable as Armida; while David Walker makes piecemeal of Goffredo, singing out of tune in every single aria.
The lack of an overall concept and the many `clever' ideas of director David Alden obscure the plot, which is slight to begin with. And worse, these extensive and meaningless brouhahas deprive the singers the possibility of developing their parts into real characters showing credible human emotions.
For truthfulness and sincerity you have to go to the pit, where conductor Harry Bicket heads the Bavarian State Orchestra. Bicket's conducting is stylish, articulate and rhythmically crisp. One cannot but pity the poor devil, who night after night from his (disad)vantage point, had to witness the atrocities unfolding on stage.
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2.0 out of 5 stars
Musically good - flawed staging, 11 Sep 2008
The first thing to say here is that Harry Bicket and the orchestra give us a very satisfying reading of this terrific score. Add to that the sublime singing of David Daniels and some other good contributions here and there and this is a very appealing performance - musically!
The staging is another matter entirely. I don't feel that David Alden's technicolour, zany production has anything much to say about the piece apart from some obvious cynicism towards evangelical Christianity. The whole thing is played for as many big belly laughs as possible - indeed the programme note quotes one review as saying 'with clowning such as this, opera really can provide outstanding comic entertainment'. Is that really what 'Rinaldo' is all about though - an operatic version of a Marx Brothers film? The Munich opera-going public had, of course (thanks to Alden's previous Handel productions) come to equate Handel with comedy so obviously it went down well with them. The DVD viewer's enjoyment of the piece will very depend on their sense of humour and maybe I'm a bit of a grump! Having said that I've enjoyed other Handel productions with humour (Hytner's 'Xerxes', Hampe's 'Serse' and Carsen's 'Semele') but then those were semi-comic operas. I even enjoyed Alden's 'Ariodante' for ENO when it was new (less so when it was revived with extra bondage and abuse).For me this production doesn't work.
Daniels sings beautifully but seems a bit bemused as to whether his character is a tough gangster or a knockabout clown. No such confusion for Axel Kohler whose Eustazio is definitely a clown - his aria at the end of the second act gets thunderous applause, presumably for some silly dancing as the singing is quite average. David Walker's coloratura is a bit approximate sometimes but he throws himself into his part as a grinning evangelist. I have no idea what Deborah York's twitchy, freakish Almirena is supposed to be - her singing is generally impressive but her white tone gets a bit wearing after a while. The Saracens are slightly more impressive; Noemi Nadelmann sings well as a slinky though hyperactive Armida and Eglis Silins (after a ropey opening number) comes good as an imposing, handsome Argante.
Buy for the musical performance and/or if you like Handel played purely for laughs.
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