Pinchgut Opera’s show-stopping Rinaldo is case of art imitating life

Art imitates life in 300-year-old show-stopping opera about conflict in the Middle East.

Love blossoms for Jake Arditti and Alexandra Oomens in Pinchgut Opera's production of Handel's Rinaldo. Picture: Cassandra Hannagan

• Bring on the bears, elephants and sea monsters
• Sliding door moments lead to Bach celebration
• Late replacement plays a blinder
• Two rising stars bring season to spellbinding end

Outside, the Saturday afternoon streets were blocked off by demonstrations against the Israel-Hamas war – inside, Jerusalem was under siege during the First Crusade as Pinchgut Opera staged George Frideric Handel’s bestseller Rinaldo in the City Recital Hall.

The irony was not lost on the audience, but for three hours they were able to forget the horrors of the real world, thanks to the sumptuous music superbly performed by the Orchestra of the Antipodes under Erin Helyard and a superb cast of singers, with Louisa Muller’s direction ensuring that the action never flagged.

Simone Romaniuk’s cleverly designed sets – flanked by a series of dark reflective panels through which cast members entered and exited – and Verity Hampson’s effective use of fluorescent lighting all helped to make this another triumphant production for the Sydney Baroque opera company.

Jake Arditti has a growing reputation as a counter tenor. Picture: Cassandra Hannagan

It was a second chance to hear British counter tenor Jake Arditti in the title role, and from the opening scenes it was obvious why he has been causing such excitement among opera-goers since his first appearance as an 11-year-old in the 1999 Glyndebourne Festival Opera production of Debussy’s Pellease et Melisande. He made his Australian and Pinchgut debut as Nero in The Coronation of Poppea in 2017.

His dramatic chops were given full vent in the bellicose aria Venti, turbini, prestate (Winds, storms lend your wings), showing a power and control that were not to flag over the three demanding acts.

London-based Australian soprano Alexandra Oomens made a welcome return to Pinchgut as Rinaldo’s lover, Almirena, whose father Goffredo (US counter tenor Randall Scotting) commands the Christian army. Her pure and even tone across the range was put to good use in the duet Augeletti che cante (Little birds that are singing) with Amy Power’s piccolo recorder, with assistance from timpanist Brian Nixon playing a bird whistle – one of the many enchanting moments of the afternoon.

But the show stopper, and perhaps the best known of all the arias in the opera, Lascia ch’io pangia (Let me weep) was soul-wrenching with the audience hushed, earning Oomens the biggest ovation of the show.

Adrian Tamburini and Emma Pearson as the bad guys in Rinaldo. Picture: Cassandra Hannagan

Predictably the Saracens are the bad guys and Pinchgut regular bass Adrian Tamburini was terrific as the commander Argante, while Aussie soprano Emma Pearson excelled as his cruel and conniving wife Armida. Her machinations in trying to seduce Rinaldo away from battle so her side could win provided some humorous touches.

Helyard, as ever, was brilliant conducting from the keyboard, inserting some wonderful improvised solos in the third act. There were several great instrumental moments in Handel’s rich score but special mention must be made of Matt Greco, both as solo violinist and concertmaster.

All in all, a stunning and entertaining end to the company’s 2023 season.

You can still see it on Tuesday, December 5, and Wednesday, December 6, at 7pm at City Recital Hall. Heavily recommended!

DETAILS

OPERA Rinaldo by Handel

BY Pinchgut Opera

WHERE City Recital Hall

WHEN December 2