Sunday, June 29, 2014

GLUCK : ARMIDE

Radio New Zealand Concert network
Sunday 29th of June 2014 at 6.03 - 8.20 pm

CHRISTOPH WILLIBALD GLUCK (1714-1787)
Armide, an opera in five acts
Armide............................. Karina Gauvin
Renaud............................. Frédéric Antoun
Phénice............................. Karin Strobos
Sidonie............................. Ana Quintans
Hidraot............................. Andrew Foster-Williams
Hate.................................. Diana Montague
Danish Knight.................. Sébastien Droy
Ubaide.............................. Henk Neven
Demons............................ Ana Quintans
.......................................... Suzana Ograjensek
Aronte.............................. Henk Neven
Artémidore....................... Sébastien Droy
Naiad................................ Suzana Ograjensek
Shepherdess..................... Ana Quintans
Pleasure............................ Francesca Russo Ermolli
Coryphées........................ Sébastien Droy
.......................................... Karin Strobos
.......................................... Ana Quintans
Netherlands Opera Chorus, Netherlands CO/Ivor Bolton
 (recorded in De Nederlandse Opera, Amsterdam)

INTRODUCTION 
SYNOPSIS 
REVIEW 
LIBRETTO (French) 

This opera of Gluck  was based on Torquato Tasso's poem Gerusalemme Liberata (1575); Gluck's version (1777) was preceded by those of Ferrari (1639), Lully (1686), Handel (Rinaldo 1711), Salieri (1773), and followed by many others, notably by Haydn (1784), Rossini's Armida (1817), and one by Dvoràk (1904); the total is about three dozen or two score. The Handel and Rossini versions are becoming well known in the revival of early opera.
   Set in the Crusade era, the tale involves a love affair between Armida (a Muslim queen of Damascus, who has magical powers) and Renaud or Rinaldo (a Christian Crusader ); she takes him to her pleasure-palace, but he is brought back to his mission of liberating Jerusalem; she destroys her palace by fire and disappears.

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