Rossini: Armida

This mythical story of a sorceress who enthralls men in her island prison has inspired operatic settings by a multitude of composers, including Gluck, Haydn, and Dvorák. Renée Fleming stars in the title role of Rossini’s version, opposite no fewer than five tenors. Director Mary Zimmerman describes the work as “a buried treasure, a box of jewels.” Armida is a fanciful and magical tale with “an epic, enchanted quality and a tremendous visual element.”

Conductor: Riccardo Frizza; Production: Mary Zimmerman; Renée Fleming, Lawrence Brownlee, Bruce Ford, Barry Banks, Kobie van Rensburg; Original transmission: May 1, 2010; approximate runtime:
2 hrs. 51 min.