Armida

Rossini’s rarely performed opera about medieval knights, the Crusades, a beautiful but evil sorceress and an enchanted island calls for not only a soprano of almost superhuman abilities but also requires no fewer than six tenors. International opera star Renée Fleming dazzles in the spectacular role of Armida, who undermines the Crusaders by spiriting away the knight Rinaldo whom she loves—only to lose him at the end, which provokes her awesomely destructive fury. Lawrence Brownlee is Rinaldo, who owes his life to Armida but is torn between his patriotic duty and his love for the enchantress. With tenors John Osborn as Goffredo, Kobie van Rensburg as Ubaldo, and Barry Banks as Carlo. Riccardo Frizza conducts.