Composed for the Teatro di San Carlo in Naples and first performed in 1817, Rossini’s Armida belongs to the remarkable series of serious operas through which the composer expanded both the dramatic and musical ambitions of Italian opera. With its supernatural subject, large-scale theatrical conception, elaborate ensembles, and extraordinarily demanding vocal writing, the work was already moving toward the kind of grand operatic spectacle that would come to dominate much of the later nineteenth century.

Cristina Deutekom is perfectly cast in the title role, commanding the stage with her oversized soprano and delivering Rossini’s formidable coloratura with almost superhuman accuracy.

For many of Rossini’s operas, his motto might well have been, “Two tenors are better than one.” That philosophy has made programming these works a perennial challenge for opera companies, since finding even one tenor capable of meeting Rossini’s demands can be difficult enough. In this performance, Pietro Bottazzi and Edoardo Gimenez both rise to the challenge. Each possesses a sweet-toned lyrical instrument, and their voices blend remarkably well when they sing together.