Cheap Handel - Rinaldo / Bicket, Daniels, York, Prinzregententheater Munich (DVD) (Brian Large) Price

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Customer Reviews of Handel - Rinaldo / Bicket, Daniels, York, Prinzregententheater Munich

Bold, Daring Update With Handel's Sublime Music
David Alden's audacious 2001 staging of Handel's "Rinaldo" brings the complex struggle between the Crusaders and the Saracens to vivid life, as he creates a surreal, out-of-proportion, pop-art world and builds the story off of a series of burlesque acts. For those unwilling to be open-minded and desperate to cling to a linear narrative complete with stodgy costumes, this is definitely not the one to watch (see some of the reviews below for confirmation of this myopic perspective). I imagine the flood of visual references in "Rinaldo" could be overwhelming for a one-time viewing experience. But that is certainly the beauty of DVD...the back arrow button can be your best friend, and repeated viewings enrich your experience of the production. As someone with a taste for the absurd, I think Alden's approach is insanely creative, but it still has a core of humanity around the legend that makes the whole production resonate. The sets and props are so much fun to watch and absorb that it bears use of the pause button intermittently.

The music is beautiful, classic Handel. Front and center is countertenor David Daniels, whose singing is impeccable throughout. His rendition of "Cara Sposa, Amante Cara, Dove Sei?" in Act I, is particularly moving. Dressed in a Dick Tracy-type suit for most of the opera, he also proves to be a deft comic actor willing to upend his romanticized hero mercilessly. This is a marked contrast to the heavily dramatic role of the martyred soldier he played in Handel's "Theodora" (also strongly recommended). The overall sound and picture transfer on the DVD is excellent.

A nice extra is the accompanying one-hour documentary, "Handel the Entertainer", a helpful primer for those who want to understand not only the genesis of this production but also the history of the composer's music.

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Totally and utterly bad production
Totally and utterly crap. David Daniels once again makes a fool of himself by taking part in this kind of performance. He is a great countertenor but he should know better that Haendel must be performed in period costumes and reflect the period.

DO NOT BUY THIS RUBBISH

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"There's a burlesque theatre where the gang likes to go..."
On this DVD, during the scene in "Rinaldo" where Argante, the King of Jerusalem is singing of his love for Almirena, daughter of the general of the besieging Christian army, a gigantic plastic bobble-headed doll rolls onto stage and drops its pants. Then it turns its back to the audience.

My feelings about this production, exactly.

The DVD's added feature is a movie called "Handel the Entertainer." In it Sir Peter Jonas, the General Director of the Bayerischen Staatsoper and Harry Bicket, the conductor discuss Handel and their treatment of "Rinaldo." Sir Peter considers "Rinaldo," one of Handel's early works, a comic farce and treats it as a burlesque. This production features several partial strip teases, including that of the previously-mentioned bobble-headed doll, and a fair amount of genital groping, so 'burlesque' is really an operative term here, not 'erotic undercurrent' as was Sir Peter's intent. The wicked but loving sorceress, Armida is transformed into a cheap hooker. Almirena is a prissy Christian kewpie doll.

As to the setting, David Alden, the stage director explains that he was trying for the ambience of the Grand Beach Hotel in Tel Aviv, where he was once stranded for several days. That might explain the bright orange couch and chairs that show up in almost every scene. I was thinking "airport lounge," but "one-star 1950's hotel" works, too. The ambience is further enhanced by a larger-than-life-size plastic statue of Jesus elevating the cup and host, and wallpaper where stylized eyes appear centered in the palms of hundreds of green, red, and flesh-colored hands.

The emotional quality of sound is a huge part of Handel's world, and the singing on this CD is good, especially counter-tenor David Daniels in the title role. But the scenic element must support the music and the words. If an operatic producer unravels a single thread of the original composer's unity of words, music, and staging, then the opera's symbolic center will not hold.

This production is overrun with symbolism, especially that of a cheap anti-Catholic variety, but I don't believe it was the symbolism intended by Handel.

The added feature, "Handel the Entertainer" is actually the highlight of this DVD, and features arias from many Handelian operas, including "Ariodante," "Xerxes," "Julius Caesar," and "Agrippina."