Rinaldo

"Editor's choice: Sangati's staging, mixing (vaguely) 18th-century costumes, Venice carnival masks and modernist camp, is unpretentious and uncluttered. The substitute arias, often short-breathed, cannot rival Handel's energy and melodic breadth, and a few outstay their welcome. But they are effective enough ... Luisi judges tempo and character well and gets spruce playing from his band ... Just don't expect more than a smattering of Handel".

"Ottavio Dantone conducts a strongly characterised performance founded on the alert playing of the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment".

Vurdering (performance): 3/5.

Vurdering (picture & sound): 5/5.

"Rinaldo is a Harry Potter figure, a bullied outsider who dreams of heroism ... Critical reactions to Carsen's staging ranged from euphoria to outrage ... There are some good visual gags - the explosion in the school chemistry lab, Rinaldo's magic flying bicycle, the hilarious final battle-as-football-match. The cast throw themselves into their roles with skill and verve ... It is the sorceress and her lover, the Saracen king Argante, who steal the show. Oozing malign sexuality, the vocally fiery Brenda Rae becomes a movingly vulnerable figure in her anguished aria after she has been rejected ... If you suspect that Carsen's wacky take on Handel's heroic magic opera is for you, be assured that the OAE play with style and élan under Ottavio Dantone's energising direction".

"Some collectors, possibly even Handelians, will appreciate this production more than I do, although I cannot think that there will be many who do not experience a feeling of admiration for the singers, the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment and the conductor. The sound, picture and television presentation do not disappoint".