Armida

Music by Joseph Haydn
Libretto taken from Antonio Tozzi's 1775 opera 'Rinaldo', as amended by Nunziato Porta

All’s fair in love and war

To prevent the capture of Jerusalem by the knights of the First Crusade, The Prince of Darkness has sent the enchantress Armida into the world to seduce the Christian heroes and turn them from their duty. The bravest of these, Rinaldo, has fallen under Armida's spell. But, to her surprise, she becomes enchanted by him as well. She comes to love him so deeply that she cannot bring herself to destroy him. For both, duty clashes with desire. As war rages around them, will love conquer them both?

Containing some of Haydn’s most inspired music, not only is Armida Haydn’s most highly regarded opera, but the composer himself referred to it as his best work.

These will be Pittsburgh Opera's first performances of Armida. Pittsburgh Opera will mount a new production.