So the ousted king of Lombardy Bertarido reads of his fate in Handel’s opera Rodelinda. In the Santa Fe Opera’s production of Rodelinda—the company’s premiere—the inscription Bertarido reads appears in the form of graffiti on the pink wall that constitutes the bulk of the set (later erased once that false premise has been revealed). The opera opens as Rodelinda mourns Bertarido’s supposed death, and as a prisoner of Grimoaldo (tenor Anthony Gregory in his Santa Fe Opera debut). Another aspect of Baroque opera, Vigneau noted during his talk, lies in the story’s rooting in historical or mythological storylines familiar (at the time) to the audience. The opera’s scenic conceit revolves around a monochromatic color scheme, the use of shadows and what’s described as a “noir melodrama gangster” sensibility.