ARMIDA

Review by Elaine Steabler of Metropolitan Opera’s new production screened at Cinema Nouveau Gateway

The Metropolitan Opera’s new production of Rossini’s Armida currently being screened at Cinema Nouveau Gateway is not to be missed. It is easy to see why this amazing mythical opera is rarely staged – the soprano role is said to be Rossini’s longest and most vocally difficult to perform, added to which it requires six outstanding tenors.

Armida is sung by the incomparable Renée Fleming. She gives a virtuoso performance as the beautiful, seductive sorceress, Armida, who lures Christian soldiers (Crusaders) to her island prison. The role of her latest victim, Rinaldo, is sung by one of the Met’s most gifted young tenors, Lawrence Brownlee. His vocal prowess is shown to full advantage in his Act 3 aria where he scales BottomD to TopD in one easy flourish. The singing in this final act brings the opera to a breathlessly exciting conclusion with Armida’s terrifying mad aria, Brownlee’s tour-de-force, and a beautifully sung tenor trio - one of whom was South African Kobi van Rensburg who, apart from his beautiful voice, has a commanding stage presence.

The Tony Award-winning director, Mary Zimmerman, brought on board by Fleming, said about discovering the opera: “It’s like coming across a buried treasure under the sea, a box of jewels”. Her production, which includes a stunning ballet in Act 2, did full justice to this wonderful mythical tale.

The running time is nearly four hours, including two fifteen-minute intervals.

Armida ends the current series of HD opera screenings from the Met, but we were given a taste of superb productions to come with the accent on Wagner. It is to be hoped that Durban opera lovers will support these remarkable films to ensure that they continue. - Elaine Steabler

Footnote: I don’t know if it’s common knowledge but young South African singer Jacques Imbrailo is currently singing the title role in Britten’s “Billy Budd” at Glyndebourne this season in its first ever staging of the opera. Quite an achievement! He is one of three South. African singers in the Royal Opera House’s Young Singer’s programme. He has obviously had some very good coaching!)