Delirio amoroso Cantata for soprano solo and instruments HWV 99

Details

Composer: Georg Frideric Handel (b. 1685 - d. 1759)

Performance date: 07/07/2019

Venue: St. Brendan’s Church

Composition Year: 1685 - 1759

Duration: 00:31:16

Recording Engineer: Ciaran Cullen, RTÉ

Instrumentation: S-solo, 2vn, va, vc, lu, hpd

Instrumentation Category:Baroque Ensemble

Artists: Anna Devin - [soprano]
Peter Spissky - [violin]
Camerata Øresund (Ida Lorenzen [violin], Tinne Albrechtsen [violin], Alison Luthmers [vioin], Rastko Roknic [viola], Hanna Loftsdóttir [cello], Joakim Peterson [double bass], Dohyo Sol [lute], Magdalena Karolak [oboe], Marcus Mohlin [harpsicord]) - [baroque ensemble]

Delirio amoroso Cantata for soprano solo and instruments HWV 99

Cardinal Benedetto Pamphili [1653-1730] was a leading figure in Roman
culture, composing operas and cantatas as well as providing libretti for such
composers as Scarlatti, Bononcini, and Melani.
He held high Vatican offices, including
librarian of the Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana and archivist of the Archivio
Segreto Vaticano. He was also a generous patron of the arts and became a friend
of Handel during the composer’s Roman sojourn from 1706 to 1710 and they
maintained a lively correspondence in later years. He provided the texts for this Cantata and
for Handel’s first oratorio, Il trionfio del Tempo e del Disinganno,
both works were performed in early 1707 at one of the Cardinal’s palaces. This was the era when opera was banned in Rome and cantatas were
used to circumnavigate the papal law. The presence of dance movements in the
score suggests that some kind of staging may have been undertaken in private.
The score requires a chamber orchestra and virtuoso soloists: oboe, violin and
cello.

Arcadian and ancient
mythological themes were fashionable at the time and the Cardinal creates a
tale along the lines of the Orpheus legend but with a twist. The soloist
switches between narrator and the heroine Chloris herself. After a charming little overture in D major
featuring the oboe, the plot is explained in a recitative: Thyrsis has died and
his beloved Chloris is distraught. She enunciates her grief in a lively
coloratura aria Let my thought fly up to heaven with an exacting solo
violin part. In the ensuing recitative
she decides to go to Hades and rescue him. She thinks she sees his shade but it
vanishes and she appeals to him not to flee in a moving lament: I left the light for you. In the following recitative Chloris loses her
cool and accuses Thyrsis of mocking her; however, she then resolves to be kind
and will take him from Hades to the Elysian Fields. In her third aria she
commands a breeze to steer their ship there Abandon your dark sails. An orchestral interlude follows for which
Handel borrowed four lines of a piece by Reinhard Keiser, followed by music
from his own opera “Almira”. To conclude Chloris sings a charming minuet: Oh these delightful and serene shores . The narrator then returns to round off the
tale: perhaps all this had happened in Chloris’ mind. A short, sprightly
orchestral minuet closes proceedings.

Introduzione
Instrumental

Recitativo: Da
quell giorno fatale

Da quell giorno fatale	Ever since that fateful day
Che tolse morte	When death took
Il crudo Tirsi a Clori	Untamed Tirsi from Clori,
Ella per duolo immense,	In her boundless grief,
Sciolto il crin, torvo il guardo,	Her hair dishevelled, her gaze dulled,
Incerto il piede, par ch’abbia	Her footsteps faltering, she seems to harbour
In sé due volantà, due cori:	Two passions, two emotions:
E del chiaro intelletto,	And with the clarity of her mind
Per gran fiamma d’amor, tubato il raggio,	Disturbed by her feverish love,
Ora s’adorna, ora del crin negletto	Now he adorns herself, now she spitefully ravages
Fa dispettoso oltraggio,	Her unkempt locks,
E varia nel pensier, ma sempre bella,	Her mind wanders, but beautiful as ever,
Agitate, cosi seco favela:	Tormented, she talks thus to herself:

Aria: Un pensiero voli in ciel

Un pensiero voli in ciel,	Let a thought fly to heaven,
Se in cielo è quella	If in heaven is that
Alma bella	Fair spirit
Che la pace m’involò.	Which robbed me of peace.
Se in Averno è condannata	If he has been condemned to hell
Per avermi disprezzata,	For having scorned me,
Io dal regno delle pene	Then from the realm of grief
Il mio bene rapiro.	I shall steal back my love.

Recitativo: Ma
fermata pensier

Ma fermata pensier,	Stay, my thought;
Pur troppo è vero che fra l’ombre	That he truly has been condemned
D’Averno è condannato	To the shades of hell
Per giusta pena, e per crudel mio fato.	As due punishment is my cruel fate.
Si, si, rapida io scendo	Yes, I hasten down
A rapir il mio bene	To steal my love
Dell’arsa Dite	From the flames of hell,
Alle infocate arene.	From the burning sands.
Ma che veggio?	But what do I see?
Rimira il mio sembiante	Gazing mockingly at my features,
Dispettosa, poi fugge, un’ombra errante.	Then fleeing: a wandering shade.
Tirsi, ah Tirsi, ah! Crudele!	Tirsi, ah Tirsi, ah, how cruel!

Aria: Per te lasciai la luce

Per te lasciai la luce,	For you I left the light,
Ed or che mi conduce	And now that love leads me
Amor per rivederti,	To see you once more,
Tu vuoi partir da me.	You wish to run from me.
Deh! Ferma I passi incerti,	Ah, stay your wavering steps,
O pur se vuoi fuggir, dimmi, perché?	Or if you would still shun me, tell me, why?

Recitativo: Non
ti bastava, ingrate

Non ti bastava, ingrate,	Was it not enough, thankless man,
D’avermi in vita lacerate il core?	To have torn my heart in two?
Dopo l’ultimo fato	After death
Siegui ad esser per me furia d’amor;	You continue to be a torment of love to me;
Anzi, ti prendi a scherno	Indeed, you mock me
Ch’io venga teco ad abitar l’inferno.	For coming to love with you in the underworld.
Ma pietà per rigore ti render.	But I shall repay your coldness with mercy.
Su, vieni al dolce oblio di Lete;	Come to the sweet oblivion of Lethe;
Indi daranno pace	There Elysium will bring peace
Gli Elisi al già sofferto affanno.	To the distress we have suffered.

Aria: Lascia
omai le brune vele

Lascia omai le brune vele,	Leave the dark sails,
Negro pin di Flegetonte.	The black ship of Phlegethon.
Io farò che unzeffiretto,	I shall make a breeze
Per diletto,	Take pleasure
Spiri intorno a te fedele,	In wafting faithfully around you
E che mova i bianchi lini	To steer the white sails
Pellegrini in Acheronte.	Towards th Acheron.

Recitativo: Ma
siamo giunti in Lete

Ma siamo giunti in Lete;	But we have arrived at the Lethe;
Odi il suono soave degli Elisi beati	Hear the gentle sound of blessed Elysium

Entrée
Instrumental

Minuet: In
queste amene

In queste amene	On these pleasant,
Piagge serene	Tranquil shores
Da sé ridente	Every smiling flower
Nasce ogni fior.	Springs up from another.
Tra suoni e canti	Amid music and song
Sempre clemente	Lovers breathe
Spiran gli amanti	An ever clement
Aura d’amor.	Air of love.

Recitativo: Si,
disse Clori

Si, disse Clori,	Yes, said Clori,
E se d’un sole estinto	And if she no longer saw the fair light
Più non vide il bel lume,	Of a sun that had gone out,
Io vide almen per fantasia dipinto.	She saw it at least in her dreams.

Minuet
Instrumental

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St. Brendan’s Church

Anna Devin | Peter Spissky | Camerata Øresund (Ida Lorenzen [violin], Tinne Albrechtsen [violin], Alison Luthmers [vioin], Rastko Roknic [viola], Hanna Loftsdóttir [cello], Joakim Peterson [double bass], Dohyo Sol [lute], Magdalena Karolak [oboe], Marcus Mohlin [harpsicord])

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