What’s the best Blu-ray of the 1711 opera Rinaldo by Handel? In December 2021, we have 3 versions. Two are graded A+. Another graded C+ is also worth watching. It’s remarkable how different the 3 versions are:
Pizzi. The most successful production of Rinaldo in history would be by director Pier Luigi Pizzi dating back to 1985. It’s been revived many times, and we have a 2020 version in a splendid, efficient Blu-ray recording by Tiziano Mancini published by Dynamic. Trimmed down to about 2 hours, it will appeal both to traditionalists and to those interested in maximum visual impact in opera productions. We graded this A+.
Carsen. A completely different A+ Rinaldo was directed by Robert Carsen at Glyndebourne in 2011. Few of us have been in military combat. But all of us remember the horrors of getting through the 8th grade. So Carsen sets his show in a middle school where our hero, after being bullied, gets glorious revenge. Carsen’s work is quite faithful to the music and the text, but also deliciously funny.
Luisi. There is also a variation of Rinaldo that harks back to an early production in Naples in 1718. We have an interesting Blu-ray of Fabio Luisi conducting the Naples version in 2018 as part of the Festival at Martina Franca. With extra music from Leonardo Leo plus interludes with comedians (expected by custom in Naples), this show runs 3 hours and 10 minutes. It also features a war between Elton John, David Bowie, Freddy Mercury, Madonna, and Cindy Lauper on one side facing Gene Simmons and Cher on the other! This music in this title is good, but we had to reduce the grade to C+ for problems in the staging.