This week, the annual London Handel Festival, now in its 34th year, opened with a new production of his opera Rodelinda. One of the missions of the festival in recent years has been to explore the composer’s rarer operas including Il Pastor Fido, Alessandro and Atalanta, but this year they chose one of his more popular works, first performed in 1725 – the same year in which he also produced his masterpieces Giulio Cesare and Tamerlano.
The story of Rodelinda, although loosely based on a historical power struggle between the kingdoms of Milan and Paviah in seventh-century Lombardy, is essentially a tale about Rodelinda’s fidelity to her husband Bertarido even when faced with death. Its plot is not quite as complicated as some of Handel’s other operas!
The production is double cast from the young and talented singers of the Royal College of Music International Opera School, and in Monday’s cast, soprano Eleanor Dennis (Rodelinda) and countertenor Ben Williamson (Bertarido) were outstanding in their roles, originally composed for the great stars Cuzzoni and Senesino. Over the years I have heard many talented countertenors such as Tim Mead and Chritopher Ainslie making their debuts at London Handel Festival, and I am sure Ben Williamson, with his secure technique and vocal colour, is a talent to watch. The first act began rather nervously but the intensity rose when Ben Williamson appeared on stage with Bertarido’s first aria “Dove sei”, and subsequently Eleanor Dennis sang her “Ombre, piante” and also her revenge aria "Morrai, si" with passion and good control of her high register. Some of her ornamentation in the da capo section was spectacular. Tenor David Webb, who played Grimoaldo, was not as strong vocally and lacked the presence required for this dramatically crucial role, although he managed to inject some emotion to his colourful aria “Tra sospetti” in Act 3. Eduige was competently sung by mezzo-soprano Rosie Aldridge with her warm tone, and Rupert Enticott’s Unulfo was sung with sensitivity and care. Vocally impressive was the baritone Samuel Evans who played the role of Garibaldo (the evil advisor to Grimoaldo) with conviction and relish.
Personally, I felt the staging was a disappointment. David Fielding, the renowned set designer and director, attempted to update the story to a modern conflict zone – somewhere like Kosovo under the rule of military forces – but the analogy with modern-day Serbs and Kosovans didn’t seem entirely appropriate for the story about a woman’s honour. The story unfolds in a military barracks and the sets were serviceable, enabling quick scene changes between Grimoaldo’s office, officer’s room (with a water cooler in the corner!) or outside the barracks.