Rinaldo, Op. 50

Rinaldo, Op. 50 was composed between 1863 and 1868 by Johannes Brahms (1833-1897) for tenor solo, male chorus, and orchestra, setting a text from Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s unfinished dramatic poem Torquato Tasso. The work depicts the legendary Crusader knight Rinaldo, who is torn between his heroic duties and the enchantments of the sorceress Armida, a story derived from Torquato Tasso’s epic Gerusalemme liberata (Jerusalem Delivered). Rinaldo was premiered on February 28, 1869, in Vienna at Gro?r Redoutensaal under the composer’s direction and represents Brahms’s most substantial attempt at a dramatic concert work, standing somewhere between cantata, oratorio, and opera. Although it has never achieved the popularity of his symphonies, concertos, or Ein deutsches Requiem, Rinaldo remains an important and fascinating work in Brahms’s output, occasionally revived by choral societies and festivals interested in exploring the lesser-known corners of the Romantic repertoire. Instrumentation: 2+1(Picc).2.2.2: 2.2.3.0: Timp: Str (4.4.3.3.3 in set): Solo Ten: TTBB Chorus. Reprint edition of the score, edited by Eusebius Mandyczewski, with manuscript parts.+