Search - Miles Davis :: Pangaea

This made-up tale of the Crusades (based on Godfrey of Bouillon?s capture of Jerusalem from the Saracens) was Handel?s first Italian opera for London audiences, and it was a resounding success. Fireworks, elaborate stage machinery, and actual birds for the heroine?s bird-song aria -- all were combined with vocal pyrotechnics to create a fabulous, if expensive, spectacle which enthralled the capital?s upper classes. In the 1970s, Rinaldo regained widespread attention once again as a vehicle for Marilyn Horne. The present recording, made after a concert tour in late 1999, features Horne?s most famous student, countertenor David Daniels, in the title role -- along with rising countertenor stars Daniel Taylor and Bejun Mehta, a number of other gifted singers, and megastar Cecilia Bartoli as the lead soprano and the hero?s love interest. Bartoli displays the same virtues and the same flaws audible on her recent Vivaldi disc: the bravura showpieces are sung too aggressively, with constant, overly wide vibrato and coloratura delivered like rounds from a machine-gun; yet the softer, more delicate arias are ravishing -- especially her birdsong aria in Act I, which features a fabulous solo for Rachel Brown on sopranino recorder. (Yes, she sings the famous "Lascia ch?io pianga" beautifully as well.) Contralto Bernarda Fink, in the role of the Crusader general Goffredo (composed as a "pants" role for a female singer), also has a vibrato a bit more pronounced than one might like, but she sings with a great deal of spirit, as does Luba Organosova as the vulnerable villainess. Daniel Taylor doesn?t sound entirely comfortable vocally or dramatically (very possibly because he sings the thankless role of the helpful, supportive younger brother), but he acquits himself well. As Rinaldo, Daniels does his teacher Horne proud: dead-on coloratura, beautiful tone, excellent Handelian style; if there?s a flaw in his performance, it?s that he sounds a bit less involved dramatically than he generally does on the stage (doubtless because this was a concert production). Bejun Mehta, in his one aria, is just as good as Daniels. Best in this starry cast, however, is baritone Gerald Finley as the Saracen general Argante: completely clear diction, just enough vibrato to color the voice without distorting the melodic line, and vigorous, even fearsome singing. Christopher Hogwood?s conducting isn?t as high-energy as that of, say, Paul McCreesh would be, but he paces the opera nicely. Some of those fabulous theatrical effects are included as well: we get to hear 18th-century thunder and birdcall machines, both of which make delightful noises. In spite of a few flaws (none of which are fatal), this Rinaldo is not only an admirable piece of work, it?s great fun as well. --Matthew Westphal