Lautten Compagney . Wolfgang Katschner

Anyone who heard Wolfgang Katschner and his sparkling Lautten Compagney at deSingel in December 2009 will know that this 'magical opera' is in good hands. 'Rinaldo' dates from 1711 and was the first opera Handel wrote in London. Although it was composed in haste and is full of quotations from earlier compositions, its première at the Queen's Theatre in Haymarket, was a spectacular success - a real showpiece, a colourful mix of magic and the drama of war - and was followed in quick succession by no less than fifteen further performances. 'Rinaldo' was moreover the first of Handel's works to appear in print. The publisher, John Walsh, did well out of it and it immediately assured the future of the Saxon composer, who had been unknown in London till then. The astonishing vocal acrobatics of the crusader Rinaldo, his lover Almirena and the sorceress Aramida continue to captivate. This present production of the opera was hosted in the summer of 2011 by the prestigious festival at Handel's birthplace, Halle, a stamp of authenticity if ever there was one.