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Heroes and Heroines Delirio New disc of Handel arias from , , , cor Amoroso The Symphony of Harmony and Invention G. F. Handel “It’s simply an outstanding disc from start to finish.” BBC Radio  CD Review Italian Secular Ikon of Light Allegri Miserere Cantatas cor cor “As time goes by, “Christophers draws I find Harry Christophers’ brilliant performances music-making more from his singers, and more captivating” both technically Ann Murray bbc radio , cd review assured and vividly impassioned.” The Symphony Of the guardian Harmony And Invention HARRY CHRISTOPHERS To find out more about The Sixteen, concert tours, or to buy CDs, visit www.thesixteen.com cor It is not every day that one gets the opportunity to record Handel's Italian Cantatas a disc with a diva, especially a diva in the form of Ann Murray. Now I hasten to add Ann is no "handbags at he period of four years which Handel spent in Italy, from mid-1706 to mid-1710, was of major dawn" diva. I use the word in its correct sense: a great or importance to his development as a composer. In his native town of Halle he had acquired from his famous singer, from the Latin meaning "goddess". Ann is Tteacher Friedrich Wilhelm Zachow the thorough technical grounding expected in a German church quite simply all of those. Some of you might have had the musician, and in composing and playing for the house in Hamburg between 1704 and 1706 he had gained some knowledge, albeit at second hand, of the French and Italian styles in dramatic music. Th e good fortune to see her in the title role of two of Handel's experience of Italy itself was however essential to a composer drawn to opera. Th ere Handel could gain greatest , 's original production of fl uency in the language, he could work with virtuoso singers and instrumentalists, and he could absorb Xerxes and David Alden's Ariodante at English National into his own compositions the colour and fl air of the latest work of such composers as Scarlatti Opera; if you were fortunate enough, then you will already and Francesco Gasparini. Handel's skills both as a composer and a keyboard player immediately drew the attention of the great Italian patrons of music, especially in Rome, where public performances of operas know what an incredible artist and Handelian she is. were banned and their place was taken by other vocal works, including , serenatas and cantatas The three cantatas chosen for this disc are all to do with classical love, that eternal performed privately in the palaces of the nobility. Th e term ‘cantata’ itself covered a wide range of works, theme so adored by composers of the baroque; the absence, departure and finally the from the most common type written for a single voice and continuo, to pieces requiring several singers death of a lover. Handel's music, as you would expect, is delightful from beginning to with full orchestral accompaniment. Handel wrote over a hundred cantatas for various patrons, covering end. However, if the text does not live, the music does not either. It was the attention the full range of styles, gaining the experience he needed and producing a stream of wonderful music to which he oft en returned in later years when seeking ideas for new compositions. to the written word that made the recording sessions such a thrill. Ann was alert to One of Handel’s fi rst patrons in Rome was Cardinal Benedetto Pamphili (1653-1730), who was also every nuance that exuded from the orchestra and, likewise, we responded to all Ann's something of a poet. He provided the text of Handel’s fi rst , Il trionfo del Tempo e del Disinganno, inflections and range of colour she uses to exemplify differing emotions. One could and also that of the cantata Delirio amoroso (HWV 99). Both works were performed at one of Pamphili’s almost say that this was a marriage of harmony and invention. What was also quite residences in the early months of 1707 (a copyist’s bill for the cantata is dated 14 February). Pamphili also wrote the text of a much shorter cantata in which he compares Handel to the mythical musician Orpheus, extraordinary was her stamina; she would have sung for the whole day non-stop, if we a form of fl attery for which Handel did not have a high regard. Many years later he told his friend Charles had let her! Jennens that Pamphili was ‘an old Fool’. Jennens asked: ‘Why Fool? because he wrote an Oratorio? perhaps you will call me Fool for the same reason?’ ‘So I would’, replied Handel, ‘if you fl atter’d me as he did’. Nevertheless Pamphili's text for Delirio amoroso ('Love's delirium') is more imaginative than most cantata texts, and inspired Handel to create some expansive and delightful music. The cantata may have been presented with a simple form of staging, as is suggested by the unusual feature of dance movements for the instruments alone, cp and cs. The first and last bs and cr, are narrations, setting and closing the scene. In between the singer impersonates the lover Chloris mourning the death of her beloved Thyrsis. Apparently he never responded to her love, so in her 'delirium' she imagines that he is being punished in hell for his cruelty. She resolves to enter the underworld herself and bring him back to life - but even in death he continues to reject her. At first she is angry, but then she decides in an act of 2 3 compassion to move him from the fiery part of Hades to the Elysian Fields. THE SYMPHONY CLORI, MIA BELLA CLORI bp The cantata begins with an orchestral Introduzione in da capo form br, the lively opening section with OF HARMONY 1 Ma che parlo, che dico? 0.59 bs Recitative solo being repeated after a short Largo for strings alone. Chloris's first aria , with its extensive part AND INVENTION Clori, mia bella Clori 0.51 bq Siciliana for solo violin, is one of the most elaborate that Handel ever wrote, and he made good use of it in other 2 In tanti affanni miei 4.15 works. It became the closing aria of Act 1 of his opera , produced in Florence in the autumn of VIOLIN I Aria 1707, and a more substantially revised version also appeared in the first version of , produced Walter Reiter (leader) Chiari lumi 3.51 DELIRIO AMOROSO in London in April 1720. The second aria, Per te lasciai cl, begins as a wistful minuet, but immediately Helen Orsler 3 Recitative br Introduction 4.55 broadens into a dialogue between the voice and a solo cello; in the more dramatic middle section, James Ellis Temo ma pure io spero 0.36 bs Chloris' pleas to Thyrsis are answered only by eloquent moments of silence. Yet another solo instrument, Claire Sansom 4 Recitative cn Aria a recorder, appears in the next aria , from which Handel later took ideas for Hush, ye pretty warbling VIOLIN II Da quel giorno fatale 0.57 choir in Acis and Galatea and for his violin sonata in D major. The orchestral Entrée cp is one of the Ne'gigli e nelle rose 2.27 Theresa Caudle bt Aria earliest known examples of Handel's borrowing from other composers: the opening bars come directly 5 Stefanie Heichelheim Recitative Un pensiero voli in ciel 9.22 from Reinhard Keiser's opera Claudius, produced in Hamburg in 1703, where they also begin an Entrée of Ilana Cravitz Non è però che non molesta 0.29 Spirits in the Elysian Fields; the rest of the movement comes from an earlier Entrée of Handel's own, bu Recitative 6 Aria in Act 3 of , his first opera for Hamburg. VIOLA Ma fermati, pensier 1.00 David Brooker Mie pupille 3.43 After a short spell with Pamphili, Handel moved on to his most important Roman patron, the cl Aria 9 bq Katie Heller 7 Marchese Maria Ruspoli. abbandonata (HWV 105) - was one of the first cantatas which Recitative Per te lasciai la luce 6.42 Handel wrote for Ruspoli and was probably first sung by the soprano Margherita Durastanti, who later CELLO Tu, nobil alma 0.30 Jennifer Ward-Clarke cm Recitative worked with Handel in Venice and London. A copyist's bill dated 30 June 1707 survives in the Ruspoli 8 Aria Helen Verney Non ti bastava, ingrato 0.47 archives. The anonymous text is based loosely on Canto 16 of Tasso's epic poem Gerusalemme liberata, Di gelosia il timore 2.22 which tells how the knight escapes the seduction of the sorceress Armida and sails away from cn Aria her enchanted island. Armida's love for Rinaldo is genuine, however, and she experiences real anguish at Peter Buckoke ARMIDA ABBANDONATA Lascia omai le brune vele 5.47 his departure. The cantata opens with a short narration set as a remarkable accompanied recitative, the FLUTE 9 Recitative co Recitative bass line being suppressed and violin arpeggios alone indicating Armida's desperate pursuit of Rinaldo. Rachel Beckett The singer then represents the abandoned Armida, her emotions passing from despair to anger, and Dietro l'orme fugaci 1.01 Ma siamo giunti in Lete 0.21 OBOE finally to a forlorn hope that she may be able to forget her lost lover. Clori, mia bella Clori (HWV 92) bl Aria cp Entrée 2.11 Anthony Robson is not specifically mentioned in the Ruspoli accounts, and though it has the same scoring as Armida Ah, crudele, e pur ten vai 5.05 cq Minuet abbandonata - just violins and continuo - it may have been written a little earlier in 1707, perhaps for BASSOON bm Sally Jackson Recitative In queste amene 2.32 Pamphili. It is fairly typical of the simpler kind of cantata, the singer representing a young man reflecting Per te mi struggo, infido 0.23 cr on the absence (or possibly the permanent loss) of his lover Chloris. His changes of mood are expressed in HARPSICHORD Recitative four arias, of which the third (Mie pupille) 6 is perhaps the most beautiful, drooping figures in the violins Alastair Ross bn Accompanied Recitative Sì, disse Clori 0.20 being answered by descending phrases in the bass. This aria was later used by Handel as the basis of a solo THEORBO O voi, dell'incostante 0.57 cs Minuet 0.52 in the Chandos anthem The Lord is my light, and the first aria (Chiari lumi) 2 was re-worked as Di Sion bo Elizabeth Kenny Aria Total Timing 66.32 nell'alta sede in Rinaldo. Venti, fermate, sì, 2.46 anthony hicks 4 5 CLORI, MIA BELLA CLORI 3 Recitative 1 Temo ma pure io spero, I fear, yet I hope, Recitative bella, di non morir, my lovely, not to die, Clori, mia bella Clori, Chloris, my lovely Chloris, che quello stesso pensier che mi tormenta, for that same thought which tortures me, lungi da te, che sei dolce far from you, you who are the sweet mi dice ancor: se il bel sembiante impresso still tells me: if you hold your Chloris' d'ogni mio ben cagione amata, beloved cause of all my happiness, porti della tua Clori lovely appearance imprinted quest'alma sventurata, how can this hapless soul in mezzo al petto, within your heart, come viver potrà? of mine live? l'alta virtù del tuo costante affetto, the noble virtue of your undying love, Se sol da quelle If only from those eyes ovunque il piè s'aggiri, wherever you direct your steps, luci del volto tuo, lighting up your face, farà che quella in ogni oggetto miri. will make you see her in every object. serene e belle, serene and beautiful, prende il misero cor my wretched heart 4 grato alimento, takes welcome sustenance, Aria come lungi starò, how can I remain far from you Ne'gigli e nelle rose, In the lilies and in the roses, senza che mia morte il mio tormento? without dying of my torment? cara, le tue vezzose my dear, I shall see sembianze io mirerò. your beautiful charms. 2 Nel sole e nelle stelle, In the sunshine and in the stars, Aria delle tue luci belle, I shall adore Chiari lumi, voi che siete Bright eyes, you who are l'imago adorerò. the reflection of your lovely eyes. il mio fato, rispondete, my destiny, reply, Ne'gigli e nelle rose... In the lilies and in the roses... senza voi viver potrò? without you can I live? Voi ch'il duol mio non gradite, You, who do not like my suffering, già pietosi un sì mi dite, now compassionately tell me 'Yes', 5 Recitative ma il mio cor teme di no. but my heart fears you mean 'No'. Non è però che non molesta e grave It is not however that my soul does not Chiari lumi... Bright eyes... lontananza sì dura, abbia l'alma a soffrire, have to suffer at such harsh, painful, che quel piacer soave, severe separation, for that sweet pleasure di cui parte si perde, which I partly lose, perdere non si può senza martire. cannot be lost without agony.

6 7 6 Aria ARMIDA ABBANDONATA Mie pupille, My eyes, 9 se tranquille if you were tranquil Recitative foste un giorno, one day, Dietro l'orme fugaci del guerrier, In pursuit of the fleeing warrior or v'invito a lacrimar. now I invite you to weep. che gran tempo in lascivo soggiorno with whom she had long dallied Nè sarete And you will ascoso avea, lustfully in secret, mai più liete never more be happy Armida abbandonata abandoned Armida se non torno unless I return il piè movea; set forth; Clori vaga a rimirar. to see my lovely Chloris again. e poi che vide al fine and when she finally saw Mie pupille... My eyes... che l'oro del suo crine, that her golden hair, i vezzi, i sguardi, i preghi her charms, glances, her prayers 7 Recitative non han forza che leghi had no power to bind il fuggitivo amante, her fugitive lover, Tu, nobil alma, intanto, You, noble soul, meanwhile, fermò le stanche piante, she rested her weary limbs, se hai pietà del mio pianto, if you feel pity for my tears, e affissa sopra un scoglio, and, motionless on a rocky cliff, figlio insieme d'amore e gelosia, the result both of love and jealousy, calma di rio cordoglio, with the calm of bitter grief, quella parte che mia è nel tuo sen, that part which is mine in your heart, a quel leggiero abete, gazed at that light craft poichè tuo servo io fui, since I was your slave, che il suo ben rapìa, which was taking Rinaldo away serba tutta per me, niegala altrui. keep it all for me, deny it to others. le luci affisse, from her 8 piangendo e sospirando and weeping and sighing Aria così disse: said: Di gelosia il timore Fear of jealousy dice all'amante core, tells my lover's heart bl Aria che non sarai fedel, that you will not be faithful, Ah, crudele, e pur ten vai Ah, cruel one, so you go away Ond'io, tra gelo e foco, So that I, between frost and fire, e mi lasci in preda al duolo, e pur sai and leave me grief-stricken, and yet you know mi struggo a poco a poco pine away gradually che sei tu solo il diletto del mio cor. that you alone are the delight of my heart. per mio destin crudel. through my cruel destiny. Come, ingrato, e come puoi How, ungrateful man, how can you steal Di gelosia il timore... Fear of jealousy... involare a questo sen, il seren de'lumi tuoi, from my heart the calm peace of your eyes, se per te son tutta ardor? if all my love is for you? Ah, crudele... Ah, cruel one... 8 9 bm ma pur, l'adoro. but still, I adore him. Recitative Onde crudeli, no, So that, cruel ones, no, Per te mi struggo, infido, For you I pine away, faithless one, non l'uccidete, do not slay him, per te languisco, ingrato; for you I languish, you ingrate; è ver che mi sprezzò, it is true that he scorned me, ah, pur lo sai ah, yet you know ma è il mio tesoro. but he is my treasured darling. che sol da tuoi bei rai that only by your lovely eyes Venti, fermate... Winds, cease... per te piagato because of you my heart ho il seno, is broken, bp e pur tu m'abbandoni, and yet you desert me, Recitative infido amante: faithless lover: Ma che parlo, che dico? But what am I saying? Ah, ch'io vaneggio; Ah, I am raving; bn Accompanied Recitative e come amar potrei un traditore, and how could I love a traitor, infelice mio core? my unhappy heart? O voi, dell'incostante O you, horrible monsters Rispondi, o Dio, rispondi. Reply, oh God, reply. e procelloso mare, of the restless, stormy sea, Ah, che tu ti confondi, Ah, you are confused, orridi mostri, come forth dubbioso e palpitante doubtful and trembling dai più profondi chiostri, from the most hidden depths vorresti non amare e vivi amante. you would like not to love, yet you love. a vendicarmi uscite, to avenge me, Spezza quel laccio indegno Break that shameful bond e contro quel crudel incrudelite, and against that cruel man grow crueller, che tiene avvinto ancor gli affetti tuoi. which still captures your affections. sì, sì, sì, sia vostro vanto yes, yes, yes, let it be your boast Che fai, misero cor? What are you doing, wretched heart? e del vostro rigore to tear to pieces Ah, tu non puoi! Ah, you cannot break loose. un mostro lacerar a monster capable di voi maggiore. of greater harshness than yours. Onde, venti, che fate, Waves, winds, what are you doing bq Siciliana che voi nol sommergete? that you do not engulf him? In tanti affanni miei In my grievous distress Ah, no, fermate! Ah no, stay! assistimi almen tu, you at least help me, Nume d'amore! God of love! bo Aria E se pietoso sei, And if you have any pity for me, Venti, fermate, sì, Winds, cease, yes, fa ch'io non ami più see that I no longer love nol sommergete, no; do not engulf him; quel traditore. that traitor. è ver che mi tradì, it is true that he betrayed me, In tanti affanni miei... In my grievous distress...

10 11 DELIRIO AMOROSO bu Recitative br Ma fermati, pensier, pur troppe è vero che fra But stay, my thoughts, alas, it is true that he is Introduction l'ombre d'averno è condannato per giusta pena, condemned to darkest Hell e per crudel mio fato. as a just punishment for my cruel fate. bs Recitative Sì, sì, rapida io scendo Yes, yes, I'll rapidly descend to save my Da quel giorno fatale From that fatal day a rapir il mio bene dell'arso Dite beloved from the red-hot sands of Pluto, che tolse morte when Death took alle infocate arene. Ma, che veggio? god of burning Hell. But what do I see? il crudo Tirsi a Clori cruel Thyrsis from Chloris, Rimira il mio sembiante A wandering spirit angrily sees ella per duolo immenso, she, in deepest grief, dispettosa poi fugge un'ombra errante. my face again and then escapes me. sciolto il crin, torvo il guardo, her hair flying loose, grim-faced, Tirsi, o Tirsi, ah, crudele! Thyrsis, Thyrsis, oh, you cruel one! incerto il piede, par ch'abbia unsteady on her feet, seems to have in sè due volontà, due cori: two wills, two hearts within her; cl Aria e del chiaro intelletto, and with the ray of clear thinking Per te lasciai la luce, For you I left the daylight, per gran fiamma d'amor turbato il raggio, dimmed by the great flame of love, ed or che mi conduce and now that love leads me ora s'adorna, ora del crin negletto she first decks herself, then makes amor per rivederti, tu vuoi partir da me. to see you again, you want to leave me. fa dispettoso oltraggio, a dire tangle of her dishevelled hair, Deh, ferma i passi incerti, Oh, stop your uncertain steps, e varia nel pensier, ma sempre bella, and wanders in her mind, but ever fair o pur se vuoi fuggir, dimmi perché? Or if you want to go, tell me why. Why? agitata così, seco favella. so agitatedly speaks to herself. Per te lasciai la luce... For you I left the daylight... bt Aria cm Recitative Un pensiero voli in ciel, Let a thought soar into the sky, Non ti bastava, ingrato, Wasn't it enough for you, ungrateful one se in cielo è quella if in Heaven is that d'avermi in vita lacerato il core? to break my heart while you lived? alma bella fair soul Dopo l'ultimo fato siegui ad esser per me furia After your death, you still inflict a frenzy of che la pace m'involò. which robbed me of my peace. d'amore; anzi, ti prendi a scherno, love on me; rather, you treat with scorn Se in averno è condannato But if he is condemned to Hell ch'io venga teco ad abitar l'inferno. the fact that I've come to live with you in Hell. per avermi disprezzato, because he scorned me, Ma pietà per rigore ti renderò. But I'll reward your cruelty with compassion. io dal regno delle pene I from the realm of punishment Su vieni al dolce oblio di Lete: Come now to the sweet forgetfulness of Lethe, io mio bene rapirò. my beloved shall rescue. indi daranno pace gli Elisi, Then the Elysian fields will give respite Un pensiero... Let a thought soar into the sky... al già sofferto affanno. to our past suffering. 12 13 cn Aria ANN MURRAY The Symphony of Harmony and Invention Lascia omai le brune vele, Leave now the dark brown sails, black boat Ann Murray was born negro pin di Flegetonte. of the fiery river of Hades, Phlegethon. in and studied he Symphony of Harmony and Invention Io farò che un zeffiretto, per diletto, I will see that a light breeze, for your delight, with Frederick Cox at the Royal Manchester is the creation of its conductor, Harry spiri intorno a te fedele; breathes constantly around you; T College of Music. She Christophers. The orchestra’s strengths have e che mova i bianchi lini, and that it moves the white canvas, has established close been built around his passion for baroque pellegrini, in Acheronte. on its way, along the river Acheron. links with both the music, that of its inspirational leader, Walter Lascia omai le brune vele... Leave now the dark brown sails... , Reiter, and a continuo section full of invention and style. The accent is always on freshness co Recitative and the Royal Opera of delivery. Part of its existence is as period House, .

Leighton by Trevor Photograph orchestra to The Sixteen where it acts as a Ma siamo giunti in Lete. But we have reached the river Lethe. Hear the She has appeared superb complement to the choir in major Odi il suono soave degli Elisi beati. sweet sound of the blessed in Elysium. with the world’s great orchestras and conductors, is a regular guest at the works of the baroque and classical eras. cp Entrée major festivals and is an internationally renowned recitalist, whilst her discography reflects not only Recording Producer: Mark Brown Recording Engineer: Mike Hatch her broad concert and recital repertoire but her cq CD mastering: Julian Millard Minuet great operatic roles. Recorded at St. Jude's on the Hill, Hampstead In queste amene piaggie serene, On these pleasant, serene shores, Her operatic engagements have taken her to Originally released on the Collins label da sè ridente nasce ogni fior. laughing to itself each flower springs up. Hamburg, Dresden, Brussels, Paris, Berlin, Cologne, Text translation: Gwyn Morris Zurich, Amsterdam, Chicago, Milan, Vienna, New Tra suoni e cantanti, sempre clemente, Amid music and song, always mild, Cover artwork: Creatas York, Munich and the Salzburg Festival. Design: Richard Boxall Design Associates spiran gli amanti, aura d'amor. lovers breathe an air of love. In 1997 Ann Murray was made an Honorary P 2005 The Sixteen Productions Ltd. Doctor of Music by the National University of © 2005 The Sixteen Productions Ltd. cr Recitative Ireland, in 1998 she was made a Kammersängerin of For further information about The Symphony the and in 1999 an Honorary Sì, disse Clori, Yes, said Chloris, of Harmony and Invention and The Sixteen Fellow of the Royal Academy of Music. In the 2002 e se d'un sole estinto and if the bright light recordings on Coro or live performances Golden Jubilee Queen’s Birthday Honours she was and tours, call +44 (0) 1865 793 999 or email più non vide il bel lume, of an eclipsed sun, was not seen, appointed an honorary Dame Commander of the [email protected] lo vide almen per fantasia dipinto. at least it was seen in the fancy. Most Excellent Order of the British Empire. In 2004 www.thesixteen.com she was awarded the Bavarian Order of Merit.She cs Minuet N 14 15