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Arminio (1737)

By George Frideric Handel (Georg Friedrich Händel)

Recordings

Handel. Arminio. (HWV 36, London 1737). Virgin VCD 545 461-2 (2 CDs 2001). Review by David Vickers. Alan Curtis, Il Complesso Barocco. Arminio: Vivica Genaux, mezzo-soprano; Tusnelda: Geraldine McGreevy, soprano; Sigismondo: Dominique Labelle, soprano; Ramise: Manuella Custer, mezzo-soprano; Tullio: Syste Buwalda, countertenor; Varo: Luigi Petroni, tenor; Segeste: Riccardo Ristori, bass. This is an excellent recording of an unexceptional opera. The best movement may be the concluding coro, a minuet reminiscent of the minuet from Almira. Stupid economy: EMI omitted an English translation of the argument and synopsis to save 3 mini-pages, but included 4 pages of stock photos of the performers. It's obvious that the staff at the big record companies who decide what to put in the booklets (after receiving a page limit from the bean counters) know nothing about classical music. US | UK | DE | FR | CA | JP

Related Operas

Alessandro Scarlatti. Arminio (Villa di Pratolino 1703). Despite numerous revisions of Salvi's libretto over 33 years, Handel used Salvi's original text for Scarlatti's opera. Strohm notes that Haym's 1714 revision for a London pasticcio has much less in common with Salvi's original than Handel's version. (n.109, p.72).

References

Winton Dean. Handel's Operas, 1726-1741 (Boydell Press 2006).

R. Strohm, "Handel and his Italian opera texts." Essays on Handel and the Italian Opera. (Oxford University Press 1985).

Links

Le magazine de l'opera-baroque page on Arminio