This recording of a live 1989 performance of Rinaldo, one of Handel's finest operas, raises high expectations because it stars Marilyn Horne in what was one of her signature roles. Sadly, the recording has enough problems on various fronts that it can't be enthusiastically recommended, especially when there are some exemplary performances available. First, the opera is drastically cut; about a third of the music is gone, including arias for Horne's title role. One major character is omitted entirely, along with most of his music, although one essential aria is assigned to another character. Second, the sound is mediocre at best. The orchestra is well miked and sounds terrific, but there was apparently inadequate miking on-stage, so the singers' movement does more than create a realistic ambience, it frequently makes them sound distant. There is a fair amount of stage noise, the usual clomping around and a voice that must be the prompter, and the smatterings of applause are feeble enough to be dispiriting. Third, and most significantly, Horne isn't in very good form, and too often sounds like a ghost of herself when she was at her best. Her low register is weak, with little of the remarkable depth and security and power that characterized her voice at its peak. Her coloratura is only sporadically reliable; she manages some of the fast passages with assurance, but she sometimes is distressingly approximate, with noticeably unsteady pitch. The rest of the cast is at least adequate, and Cecilia Gasdia stands out as Almirena, singing with lovely tone. John Fisher leads Orchestra del Teatro La Fenice in a lively and engaging reading of the score.
Horne's fans may want to check out her 1982 recording of the opera on Ponto, made when she was securely in her prime; there is no comparison between that gripping performance and this one. It also has a superlative supporting cast, including Benita Valente, Samuel Ramey, and John Alexander. It's still cut, but not quite as badly as this version. Listeners who want to hear the complete opera in all its glory have a choice between Christopher Hogwood's all-star 1999 version on Decca with Cecilia Bartoli, David Daniels, Bernarda Fink, Gerald Finley, Mark Padmore, and Catherine Bott, or René Jacobs' 2002 version on Harmonia Mundi with Dominique Visse, Vivica Genaux, Miah Persson, and Lawrence Zazzo.
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