Rinaldo

Last night the Lyric Opera of Chicago performed Rinaldo, perhaps Georg Friedrich Händel's finest opera, in a witty, modern production by Francisco Negrin.

The experience was worth the trip to Chicago. The music was extraordinary and all of the arias, particularly Cara sposa and Lascia ch'io pianga, were like jewels strung on silvery, finely wrought Baroque orchestration.

The excellent cast included David Daniels as Rinaldo, Julia Kleiter as Almirena, Luca Pisaroni as Argante, and Elza van den Heever as Armida. The conductor was Harry Bicket.

Here's David Daniels singing Cara sposa from the 2001 Prinzregententheater production in Munich.