Rinaldo conducts Rinaldo at the Karlsruhe Handel Festival

Valeria Girardello (Armida)

Rinaldo

Suzanne Jerosme (Almirena) and Lawrence Zazzo (Rinaldo)

Rinaldo

By Mengguang Huang, 28 February 2025

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“Girardello was a powerhouse, dominating every scene”

Reviewed at Badisches Staatstheater: Großes Haus, Karlsruhe on 26 February 2025

Handel, Rinaldo (1731 version)

Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe

Rinaldo Alessandrini, Conductor

Hinrich Horstkotte, Director, Set Designer, Costume Designer

Rico Gerstner, Lighting Designer

Badische Staatskapelle Karlsruhe

Sven Stratmann, Video

Lawrence Zazzo, Rinaldo

Valeria Girardello, Armida

Suzanne Jerosme, Almirena

Jorge Navarro Colorado, Goffredo

Francesca Ascioti, Argante

Lisandro Abadie, A Christian Magician, A herald

Siroe, Re di Persia: a majestic and true-to-form Karlsruhe revival

Mengguang Huang, 28th February

Ulrich Peters' 2024 production justifies the artistic value of Handel’s unjustly neglected opera and the literary value of Metastasio's libretto.

****1

Handel's Alcina in Karlsruhe: a great production with great singing

Sandra Bowdler, 23rd February

Handel's Alcina at the Karlsruhe 2019 Handel Festival scores on all fronts, with two Australians taking the main roles.

****1

Handel's Serse – the Vegas version – in Karlsruhe

Sandra Bowdler, 15th February

The problem with on-stage vulgarity is that, while it might be sophisticated and knowing satire, it ends by being what it is parodying.

***11

Overflowing with emotions: Adriana Lecouvreur

Zenaida des Aubris, 6th May

Musically and scenically sumptuous melodrama with a solid cast in Karlsruhe.

*****

Twilight of the Wagner Clan

John Johnston, 28th April

An astringent sorbet between the courses of a heavily sauced Wagnerian banquet.

****1

Breaking the Waves in Karlsruhe: an der Grenze des Menschlichen

Christoph Wurzel, 31st January

Ganz kann die Übersetzung des preisgekrönten Films von Lars von Trier in die Form der Oper nicht überzeugen. Am Staatstheater Karlsruhe kam Missy Mazzolis Breaking the Waves aber in einer packenden Inszenierung heraus.

****1

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Mengguang Huang

Mengguang Huang is a Hamburg-based project manager in the construction industry. With a strong passion for classical music, he was introduced to the world of early music during his time in the UK, where he developed a particular fondness for renaissance and Baroque vocal music. Driven by his love for this genre, he now makes it a priority to attend major Baroque opera productions and concerts across Western Europe whenever possible, continuing to deepen his appreciation for this rich musical tradition.

Rinaldo conducts Rinaldo: a Baroque favourite at Karlsruhe’s International Handel Festival