Lucia Ronchetti's Rivale

Premiered in 2017 at the Staatsoper Berlin, Italian composer Lucia Ronchetti's Rivale is presented here in a cinematic version directed by Giulio Boato. Condensed from Antoine Danchet's libretto for André Campra's 1701 opera Tancrède, the story has its roots in Torquato Tasso's epic poem La Gerusalemme liberata (Jerusalem Delivered). The story of Rivale follows the action of the third and fourth acts of Campra's opera, heightening the stakes of the protagonist's dilemma...

In the time of the first Crusade, Clorinde (played to perfection by HsiaoPei Ku) is in love with the knight Tancrède, her political and religious enemy. Lost in an enchanted forest, the warrior princess's intense inner monologue brings her romantic feelings into conflict with her sense of duty. The orchestral textures of this chamber opera for mezzo soprano, solo viola, brass, and percussion are rich and sonorous, and the New Music Theatre Ensemble interprets the demanding work with assurance and deeply felt artistry.