Edwin Crossley-Mercer as arrogant king in Haydn's Orlando Paladino

Edwin Crossley-Mercer and Heiko Pinkowski (Photo: Wilfried Hösl)

Barihunk Edwin Crossley-Mercer is singing the role of the boastful and arrogant King Rodomonte in Haydn’s most popular opera, Orlando Paladino. The opera is being performed at the Munich Opera Festival under the baton of Ivor Bolton and also features the rising tenor star David Portillo as Pasquale.

The opera plays into all of the 18th-century stereotypes and conventions of the time, including the title character literally going crazy over love and the tenor having to sing some ridiculously high falsetto notes.

Haydn composed Orlando Paladino in 1782, basing it on Ludovico Ariosto's 16th-century epic, Orlando Furioso, which inspired a few operas by Handel, Vivaldi and other composers of the time. The opera did not receive its first U.S. performance for two centuries, when it was performed in Philadelphia in 1982.

On a side note, Rodomonte's name is the source of the expression rodomontade, meaning "boastful, bragging talk"

Remaining perfomances are on July 25, 27, 29 and tickets and cast information is available online.