By the time Handel composed Arminio in 1736 (in a record 18 days!), his operatic career was coming to a close. He was writing frantically, competing wildly with the rival “Opera of the Nobility” company (which succumbed in mid-1737), and frankly seems to have been running low on inspiration. He accepted a mediocre libretto about a German prince Arminio (Viveca Genaux, mezzo-soprano) who has been imprisoned by Varo, a Roman general (Luigi Petroni, tenor), who is in love with Arminio’s wife, Tusnelda (Geraldine McGreevy, soprano). In addition, Tusnelda’s brother Sigismondo (Dominique LaBelle, soprano; originally a soprano castrato) is in love with Arminio’s sister Ramise (Manuela Custer, soprano). Tusnelda’s father Segeste (Riccardo Ristori, bass) doesn’t like Arminio and is in cahoots with the Romans, but when the Romans are defeated, everyone makes up, noting that sorrow has subsided, hearts are filled with bliss, and virtue leads to peace. No wonder Handel’s music is somewhat uninspired! Who are the bad guys? Who are the good guys? Who cares?
Still, Handel completists and those with an interest in any of these singers will need this set, and there are some joys to be found herein. Pity that the most interestingly scored aria, about valor and victory, complete with oboes and horns, is sung pretty badly by tenor Petroni, and that Sigismondo’s opening aria about bad dreams, handsomely done by LaBelle, never makes any textual sense. (There’s always something slightly off here.) But Genaux sings and portrays Arminio with intelligence and a steady, admirable tone, McGreevy’s Tusnelda is nicely feminine, and Alan Curtis’ leadership of Il Complesso Barocco has energy and conviction. This set self-recommends, really, just by existing. Over to you.
