HANDEL: Rinaldo*

HANDEL: Rinaldo* 7 March. London, Hm. Text by G. Rossi (from a sketch, after Tasso, by A. Hill, who then provided the printed English translation). Three acts. The first opera Handel wrote for London. In the preface to the libretto Rossi calls the composer the “Orfeo del nostro secolo”. Rinaldo was more or less a pasticcio containing several airs from Handel’s earlier operas. The famous Lascia ch’io pianga derives from this opera. Very successful in London; given 15 times during the first…