Rinaldo by Händel (concert version)

Handel’s Rinaldo was the first opera written in Italian for a London theatre, and it made its premiere in the English capital on 24 February 1711. The German composer’s early opera is considered one of his greatest works. It was his most popular opera, and the one that was most frequently performed during the composer’s lifetime. With a libretto by Giacomo Rossi, based on the epic poem Jerusalem Delivered by Torquato Tasso the opera tells the story of the crusades to liberate Jerusalem. The concert version presented at the Palau will be performed by Les Accents, a group founded by Thibault Noally that focuses exclusively on the vocal and instrumental repertoires of the 17th and 18th centuries, with a vocal ensemble including countertenor Carlo Vistoli as Rinaldo and soprano Emőke Barath.