Handel: Rodelinda

I saw this Met production of Rodelinda as I love opera, love Handel, admire Renee Fleming and have liked a vast majority(if not quite all) of the Met HD broadcasts. Rodelinda is a fascinating opera, the plot is complicated but very moving and conflicting and the music is some of Handel's most beautiful. This Met production is certainly not bad, I could actually tell that a lot of effort went into it, but I was never entirely convinced. The High Definition is splendid I give you that, complete with clean camera work and picture quality and good sound.

And the production certainly looks great. Updated to Milan in the 18th century, the costumes are sumptuous and the settings likewise. The production's look wasn't the problem, the authenticity was. As great as it looked, I didn't get the sense I was watching a Handel opera, it was also too elaborate for the very intimate drama. I would also say the same with the musical direction. Handel's score is treated with briskness, respect and played absolutely beautifully and skillfully even on period instruments, plus the conducting is efficient.

But...I am not sure whether it was the venue or the orchestra size, but it didn't feel like an opera written by Handel as though it was being performed during his time, mostly it was like the orchestra playing brilliantly but in a modern setting and often seemed swamped in a venue as large as the Met is. The staging does have some realism with a few compelling moments, however there were too many times where it was lacking in rhythm and not as simple as it should have been, therefore the drama was not as engaging or as moving as I knew it could've been.

The singing is good, often very good, but the acting wasn't as impressive, not always looking very natural. The best in support were Iestyn Davies, whose countertenor fills the house better than Scholl's did, and Shenyang, who was a good fit for his role. Andrea Scholl has a beautiful voice, but for an opera house so large it sounds underpowered. His character Bertarido is a very interesting character, the opera's most interesting character perhaps, but Scholl was too bland for me, not steely enough.

Joseph Kaiser sings beautifully, and I know from his performance in Capriccio that he has the vocal size to sing at the Met. I wasn't however convinced by his acting either though, never quite bringing out Grimoaldo's conflict. Stephanie Blythe is not as good dramatically as she was in Orfeo Ed Euridice and Das Rheingold, her character's predicament didn't really move me in the way it should. But the voice is fantastic, intelligently worded and many interesting vocal colours.

Renee Fleming I admire, and while the stage direction doesn't always allow her to bring the drama naturally to life, I do think she is terrific in the role. She has the creamy, sincere voice, the musicality, the style, the nuances and the warmth and intelligence in her acting to make her performance as Rodelinda memorable. Overall, didn't really convince me, but partially recommended for how good it looks, for Fleming and while not always authentic and uneven dramatically Handel's opera is treated with intelligence and respect. 6/10 Bethany Cox

This is the first production I have ever seen of Handel's opera Rodelinda. Although its subject is royal jiggery-pokery it eschews the witchcraft, magic and special effects of some of Handel's earlier operas. The action takes place in real time during one day in the palace of the King of Lombardy during the 7th century. Director Stephen Wadsworth updates the action by about 1100 years to the 18th century, more or less contemporary with when the opera was written.

This is a chamber piece with only six singing characters and no chorus but the spectacular set moves horizontally from left to right as the characters move through various rooms of the King's Palace. It also moves vertically for the scene in the dungeons so the experience is, visually, very exciting.

Grimoaldo has usurped the throne of King Bertarido. He is betrothed to Bertarido's sister Edwige but lusts after the deposed queen Rodelina. There are two counsellors, Gariboldo, who schemes to take the throne for himself and Unulfo, who is secretly loyal to Bertarido.

The plot, frankly, is a bit of a mess. Bertarido is presumed to be dead but we do not know in what circumstances. He turns up at the palace and saves Grimoaldo from the scheming Garibaldo, whereupon the grateful usurper gives up the throne and everyone lives happily ever after. Grimoaldo must be the softest tyrant in history, perpetually plagued by doubts but the motivations of the other characters are equally opaque notwithstanding the fact that they spend the best part of three hours pouring out their deepest emotions.

This, being a Handel opera, is what we have all come to hear. One by one the six characters display their emotions in a series of show-stopping da capo arias. We have to wait until the end of Act II for the only duet in the opera, the wonderful "Io t'abbraccio" between Rodelina and Bertarido. Stephen Wadsworth choreographs the action well so that there is always something happening during the long arias but the action never detracts from the singing.

The Met have assembled a world-class cast to handle the vocal pyrotechnics of this very difficult opera. Renée Fleming, uncharacteristically, seems to have trouble with the long, flowing melody lines of her first couple of arias but, after that she is in fine voice. Even better is contralto Stephanie Blythe as Edwige. Stephanie Blythe is a classically proportioned singer with an exciting lower register. The very high counter-tenor Andreas Scholl makes a very sweet sound as Bertarido. I also loved the somewhat deeper counter-tenor of Iesten Davies as Unulfo.Tenor Joseph Kaiser is a somewhat bland Grimoaldo. Shenyang, as Garibaldo, is the only singer to trouble the bass clef. He has to die for this, so he misses the rousing quintet with which all the other characters end the opera.