Music (particularly opera) lovers: Get a handle on Handel's "Rodelinda"

[Radio_Lady]

I didn't even know that Handel COMPOSED operas in the Baroque period. That was when our country was just an English outpost, but feel free to correct me as my UK and American history background is a bit sketchy.

"Rodelinda" had its World Premiere on February 13, 1725, at the King’s Theatre in the Haymarket, London, England.
Oh, I can only imagine what delights THAT event held!!!

Any music lovers here today? Did you know any of this? Here it is:



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Portland (ORE.) Opera Presents THE COMPANY PREMIERE OF HANDEL’S OPERA "RODELINDA"

She’s powerful. She’s dependable. And she’s smart.

As one of opera’s most courageous female characters, Rodelinda easily finds her rightful place in Portland Opera’s season “Great Women of the Stage.” Handel’s musical masterpiece brims with the richness, depth, and warmth audiences have come to know and love from Baroque music. A vocal showcase from the creator of the well-known “Messiah,” Rodelinda makes its Company premiere this month on Friday, 2/08/08. (See below for complete schedule and ticket purchase information.)

Rodelinda will provide Portland Opera audiences with a new and exciting experience. Baroque operas have rarely been performed here, leaving a rich collection of operas to be explored and experienced.

“One of the wonderful discoveries recently in opera,” says Portland Opera General Director Christopher Mattaliano, “is the vast treasure of work prior to Mozart, primarily of Handel. There has been a huge trend upwards over the last thirty years in the amount of Baroque opera produced. And Rodelinda is the biggest discovery in the last ten years and is being produced in opera houses that include a very successful recent production at the Metropolitan Opera.”

Rodelinda is a classic tale of marital devotion. Based distantly on a play by Corneille, it tells the riveting story of Queen Rodelinda whose husband King Bertarido has been driven from the throne by the treacherous Duke Grimoaldo. Rodelinda believes her husband to be dead, but he is in fact hiding in the crypt of the Lombard kings, hoping to one day reclaim his throne and return to his wife and son. Rodelinda grieves deeply for her husband, and yet must fend off those who want her—and the throne. In the end, the tenacious Queen deftly manages to save both her husband and the crown by remaining faithful above all else, winning brilliantly at the high-stakes game of political intrigue.

Lyrics: Sung in Italian with English translations projected above the stage.

Portland Opera Premiere: Friday, February 8, 2008, with other performances scheduled for February 10 (matinee), 14, and 16, 2008. All performances are held at the Keller Auditorium, SW 3rd & Clay, Portland, OREGON.

For other information about tickets or the Portland Opera production of Rodelinda, please visit:

http://www.portlandopera.org

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Ticket Information
By Phone: Portland Opera Box Office, 503-241-1802 or Toll-free 866-739-6737, Mon - Fri 9:00 am – 5:00 pm.
Ticketmaster, 503-790-ARTS (days, evenings, and weekends).
Online: www.ticketmaster.com

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(Crossposted to the Oregon and Washington state forums)

[Radio_Lady]

1. Here's a treat! LISTEN to snippets of the music at this link:

Look in the left column at this web page:

http://www.portlandopera.org/operas/2007-2008/rodelinda