Armida: an opera by Gioacchino Rossini
Concert performance sung in Italian

Performers Cecilia Gasdia (Armida); Bruce Ford (Rinaldo); Paul Austin Kelly (Ubaldo); Kenneth Tarver (Gernando); Barry Banks (Goffredo); Darren Abrahams (Eustazio); John Relyea (Idraote); Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Carlo Rizzi (conductor); Scottish Opera Chorus, Fergus Shiel (Chorus master)
Venue Usher Hall
Address Lothian Road Edinburgh
Reviewer Iain Gilmour

Italian soprano Cecilia Gasdia made a triumphant return to the Edinburgh International Festival with an acclaimed performance in the title role of Rossini's Armida, written by the composer as a showpiece for his mistress, later wife, Isabella Colbran.

Concert versions of opera are often regarded as shadows of the real thing but the near-capacity Festival audience in the Usher Hall obviously had no reservations. Enthusiastic applause punctuated the performance, particularly for Gasdia, the only woman in a cast of six tenors and a bass.

The opera includes a rarity for Rossini, several tender love duets. These, with several extended coloratura passages, revealed why Gasdia is widely regarded as a leading Rossini singer. (Her previous Festival visit was for Rossini's Stabat Mater.)

One of 10 operas written by Rossini as vehicles for Colbran, Armida was derided as "too German" at its 1817 premiere in Naples. Despite some fine vocal and orchestral passages - here the fine work by Scottish Opera Chorus was notable - it never gained a place in the regular repertoire and has rarely been performed since.

The opera is set in the early Crusades, one of around 40 using Tasso's poem Jerusalem regained as source. These date from the early 17th century to the 1900's and most have long disappeared, though Handel's Rinaldo is one exception.

The large number of tenors used was because Naples Opera House had six tenors on the staff at the time, all demanding roles.

Armida, an evil princess, entraps and seduces the Crusader Rinaldo. Rinaldo - sung by the noted Rossini specialist Bruce Ford - kills an opponent in a duel and the couple flee the Crusder camp to her hellish island kingdom.

The devil Astarrote - Canadian bass John Relyea - leads the celebrations as they descend in a cloud that transforms into a chariot pulled by two dragons.

Two fellow Crusaders arrive and eventually persuade Rinaldo to follow honour rather than love. Armida faints at news of their escape from the island but recovers to fly off in her chariot vowing vengeance.

© Iain Gilmour. August 2001