BARD BAROQUE ENSEMBLE Renée Anne Louprette, director

GRADUATE VOCAL ARTS PROGRAM , artistic director Kayo Iwama, associate director

HANDEL PROJECT

Caesar placing back on the throne of Egypt – Pierre de Cortone (1596-1669)

Rodelinda | | Organ Concerto Op. 4, No. 4 Friday, May 14, 2021 | 8:00 PM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9W-nKdpxhA

BARD BAROQUE ENSEMBLE GRADUATE VOCAL ARTS PROGRAM

present

HANDEL ARIA PROJECT

Friday, May 14, 2021 | 8:00 PM Recorded in the László Z. Bitó Conservatory Performance Space Bard College, Annandale-on-Hudson, New York

PROGRAM

Works by (1685-1759)

OVERTURE

Organ Concerto in F major, Op. 4, No. 4

I. Allegro

Mary Douglas, ’23, organist

ACT I: Excerpts from , regina de’ Longobardi, HWV 19

Ho perduto il caro sposo

Jardena Gertler-Jaffe, ’21,

L’empio rigor del fato

Kirby Burgess, ’22, soprano

Lo farò; dirò: spietato

Pauline Tan, ’21, mezzo-soprano

Ritorna, oh caro e dolce mio tesoro

Lucy Fitz Gibbon, ‘15, soprano, VAP faculty

Io t’abbraccio

Jardena Gertler-Jaffe, soprano, and Micah Gleason, ’22, mezzo-soprano

Fatto inferno è il mio petto… Pastorello d’un povero armento

Maximillian Jansen, ’21,

ENTR’ACTE

Trio Sonata in F major, Op. 2, No. 4

I. Larghetto II. Allegro

Isabela Cruz-Vespa, ’22, flute Clare Herzog, ’22, Lily Moerschel, ’22, Renée Anne Louprette, ’19, harpsichord

ACT II: Excerpts from Giulio Cesare in Egitto, HWV 17

Vani sono i lamenti…

Sarah Rauch, ’22, mezzo-soprano

Non disperar, chi sa?

Samantha Martin, ’22, soprano

Cara speme, questo core

Joanne Evans, ’22, mezzo-soprano

Se in fiorito ameno prato

Chuanyuan Liu, ’21, Laura Pérez Rangel, ’23,

L’angue offeso mai riposa

Melanie Dubil, ’22, mezzo-soprano

Piangerò la sorte mia

Alexis Seminario, ’22, soprano

Dall’ondoso periglio… Aure, deh, per pietà

Stephanie Blythe, mezzo-soprano, VAP Artistic Director

FINALE

Organ Concerto, Op. 4, No. 4

IV. Allegro

Caleb Carman, ‘22, organist

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BARD BAROQUE ENSEMBLE Renée Anne Louprette, Director

Violin Flute Ana Aparicio, concertmaster Isabela Cruz-Vespa Laura Pérez Rangel Ella Menees Oboe Dávid Bánóczi-Ruof Clare Herzog *

Viola Lute & Guitar Rowan Swain Matt Macari Mikhal Terentiev Harpsichord & Organ Cello Caleb Carman Lily Moerschel Mary Douglas Nick Scheel Renée Anne Louprette

Bass * Ensemble Teaching Assistant Rowan Puig Davis + Member of The Now Luke Stence +

GRADUATE VOCAL ARTS PROGRAM Stephanie Blythe, Artistic Director Kayo Iwama, Associate Director Lucy Fitz Gibbon, Undergraduate and Graduate Voice, Core Seminar III Lisa Krueger, Graduate Program Coordinator

Verbal program notes by Maximillian Jansen and Sarah Rauch

AUDIO & VISUAL PRODUCTION Marc Mancus, Productor Coordinator, Bard College Conservatory of Music Christopher Conner, Audio Visual Technician, Bard College

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TEXTS & TRANSLATIONS

Rodelinda, regina de’ Longobardi

Ho perduto il caro sposo (Rodelinda)

Ho perduto il caro sposo, I lost my dear spouse, e quì sola alle sventure And here alone among the paths of misfortune vie più cresce il mio penar. My suffering grows.

L’empio rigor del fato (Rodelinda)

L'empio rigor del fato The wicked cruelty of fate vile non potrà farmi, May make me miserable se misera mi fè; But it cannot make me cowardly; E tu, crudo tiranno, And you, cruel tyrant, in van tenti placarmi, Though you hold me captive, se m'hai legato il piè. You try in vain to placate me.

Lo farò; dirò: spietato (Eduige)

Lo farò; dirò: spietato, I will do it; I will say: ruthless man, porta altrove un cor sì ingrato Take your heart, so ungrateful, sì spergiuro e traditor. So deceitful and traitorous, somewhere else. Ed a te rivolta poi And turned then to you, ti dirò su gli occhi suoi: I will say as he watches: tu sei l core del mio cor. You are the heart of my heart.

Ritorna, oh caro e dolce mio tesoro (Rodelinda)

Ritorna, oh caro e dolce mio tesoro, Return, oh my dear sweet treasure, a dar conforto e speme a questo cor! To give comfort and hope to this heart! Tu renderai al seno mio la calma, You will bring calm to my breast, se refrigerio sei d’ogni dolor. As a respite from all pain.

Io t’abbraccio (Rodelinda & Bertarido)

Io t’abbraccio I embrace you E più che morte, aspro e forte, And this farewell, which separates your heart from mine, è pe l cor mio questo addio, Is harsher and stronger than death itself che il tuo sen dal mio divide. For my heart.

Ah mia vita! Oh my life! Ah mio tesoro! Oh my treasure!

se non moro, If I do not die, è più tiranno quell’affanno, That grief is more of a tyrant che dà morte, e non uccide. That gives death, and does not kill.

Fatto inferno è il mio petto (Grimoaldo)

Fatto inferno è il mio petto; My breast is made a hell; di più flagelli armate I have in my heart three furies: ho dentro il core tre furie: Jealousy, disdain, and love, gelosia, sdegno ed amore; armed with many whips; e da più gole io sento, And from many throats I hear quasi mastin crudele, Remorse barking as my torment, il rimorso latrar per mio tormento, Almost like a cruel Cerberus, chiamandomi infedele, Calling me unfaithful, spergiuro, usurpator, empio, e tiranno. Liar, usurper, unholy, and tyrant.

Ma pur voi lusingate Yet you, calm breezes, le stanche mie pupille Tempt my tired eyes ad un breve riposo, aure tranquille! With a brief repose!

Sì, dormi Grimoaldo, e se ritrovi Yes, sleep, Grimoaldo, and if you find again pace trà i fonti e l’erbe, Peace among the fountains and grasses, delle regie superbe le mal sicure soglie Abandon the unsafe thresholds in abbandono lascia; Of the haughty palaces; che prezioso è dell’alma Since a peaceful soul is as precious riposo al par del trono. As the throne.

Pastorello d’un povero armento (Grimoaldo)

Pastorello d’un povero armento A shepherd of a humble flock Pur dorme contento, Still sleeps contented sotto l’ombra d’un faggio o d’alloro. Under the shade of a laurel branch. Io, d’un regno monarca fastoso, But I, magnificent monarch of my kingdom, non trovo riposo, Find no rest sotto l’ombra di porpora e d’oro. Under the shade of purple and gold.

Giulio Cesare in Egitto

Vani sono i lamenti (Sesto)

Vani sono i lamenti; Laments are useless; è tempo, o Sesto, ormai It is now time, oh Sesto, di vendicar il padre; To vindicate your father; si svegli alla vendetta May your sluggish spirit, l'anima neghittosa, Which, offended by a tyrant, rests in vain, che offesa da un tiranno invan riposa. Awake to vengeance.

Svegliatevi nel core (Sesto)

Svegliatevi nel core, Awake in my heart, furie d'un alma offesa, Furies of an offended soul, a far d'un traditor To take harsh revenge aspra vendetta! On a traitor! L'ombra del genitore My father’s spirit accorre a mia difesa, Comes to my defense, e dice: a te il rigor, And says: I await your ferocity, Figlio si aspetta. My son.

Non disperar, chi sa? (Cleopatra)

Non disperar, chi sa? Do not despair, who knows? se al regno non l'avrai, If you will not have luck in your kingdom, avrai sorte in amor. You will have it in love. Mirando una beltà Admiring a beauty in essa troverai In her you will find a consolar un cor. Consolation for your heart.

Cara speme, questo core (Sesto)

Cara speme, questo core Dear hope, this heart tu cominci a lusingar. You begin to flatter. Par che il ciel presti favore It seems as if the heavens lend favor i miei torti a vendicar. To vindicate my wrongs.

Se in fiorito ameno prato (Giulio Cesare)

Se in fiorito ameno prato If the little bird hides l'augellin tra fiori e fronde Among flowers and fronds si nasconde, In the pleasant, flowering field, fa più grato il suo cantar. It makes its song more inviting. Se così Lidia vezzosa If thus charming Lidia spiega ancor notti canore, Still sings her nightly songs, più graziosa Ever more graciously fa ogni core innamorar. She makes every heart fall in love.

L’angue offeso mai riposa (Sesto)

L'angue offeso mai riposa, The offended serpent never rests, se il veleno pria non spande Until its venom spreads dentro il sangue all'offensor. Through the blood of its offender. Così l'alma mia non osa Thus my spirit does not dare di mostrarsi altera e grande, To show itself haughty and great, se non svelle l'empio cor. Until it tears out the villain’s heart.

Piangerò la sorte mia (Cleopatra)

Piangerò la sorte mia, I will lament my fate, sì crudele e tanto ria, So cruel and so wicked, finché vita in petto avrò. As long as I have life in my breast. Ma poi morta d'ogn'intorno But then, when I am dead, as a ghost il tiranno e notte e giorno I will torment the tyrant fatta spettro agiterò. Day and night, everywhere.

Dall’ondoso periglio (Giulio Cesare)

Dall'ondoso periglio From the turbulent peril salvo mi porta al lido My propitious lot il mio propizio fato. Bears me safe to the shore. Qui la celeste Parca Here divine Fate non tronca ancor lo stame alla mia vita! Does not yet clip the thread of my life! Ma dove andrò? e chi mi porge aita? But where will I go? And who offers me succor? Solo in queste erme arene Is it right for the monarch of the world al monarca del mondo errar conviene? To wander on these solitary shores?

Aure, deh, per pietà (Giulio Cesare)

Aure, deh, per pietà Breezes, I pray thee, spirate al petto mio, Please breathe into my chest, per dar conforto, oh dio! To give me comfort, oh God! al mio dolor. For my pain. Dite, dov'è, che fa Tell me, where is she, l'idol del mio sen, Idol of my breast, l'amato e dolce ben The sweet and adored love di questo cor. Of this heart. Ma d'ogni intorno i' veggio But everywhere I see sparse d'arme e d'estinti The shores scattered with arms l'infortunate arene, And the dead, segno d'infausto annunzio al fin sarà. In the end it will be a sign of an inauspicious portent.

Libretto of Rodelinda: Nicolo Francesco Haym (1678-1729), after (1664-1724) of Giulio Cesare: Translations: Karen Raizen, Visiting Assistant Professor of Italian, Bard College

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NOTES ON THE PROGRAM

In less than one year, between 1724 and 1725, the Royal Academy of Music witnessed something extraordinary: no less than three major operatic masterpieces from George Frideric Handel were premiered at the King’s Theatre on Haymarket – Giulio Cesare in Egitto; ; and Rodelinda, regina de’ Longobardi. That Handel produced three in such a remarkably short time is an accomplishment in its own right, but to have written such monuments of expressive potency in quick succession – with such penetrating interpretation of human character, sublime melodies, bold harmonic language, and attention to orchestral color rarely contemplated by his contemporaries in this medium – is an achievement without parallel in the entire history of . These works reveal to us a Handel at arguably the peak of his creative powers, supremely confident in his exceptional abilities as composer and as dramatist.

Even though all three operas have unique qualities, Rodelinda may prove to be the best amongst these, by the unadulterated beauty of its composition, the singular attention paid to the development of characters, and to the balancing of contrast in their moods, affections, conflicts, and passions. There is a certain chiaroscuro quality to this opera, in its alternation between moments of terrifying darkness and sheer light and pulchritude.

Rodelinda opened on February 13, 1725, and it was an immediate success. Like Giulio Cesare and Tamerlano, it had largely the same stellar cast: , the star soprano of the stage of the early singing the title role, and – the celebrated – singing the role of Bertarido, Rodelinda’s hapless husband. Francesco Borosini (Grimoaldo), Giuseppe Boschi (Garibaldo), Anna Dotti (Eduige) and Andrea Pacini (Unulfo) completed the roster. And just like the aforementioned operas, Nicola Haym was the librettist, although here he may have produced his finest effort.

The opera opens with Rodelinda’s aria “Ho perduto il caro sposo” (“I have lost my dear spouse”), economically setting the scene for her predicament and encapsulating the present drama. The minor mode, falling figures, and downward motion in the bassline all convey a sense of despair. There is also a feeling of ominous uncertainty suggested by harmonic instability and accented appoggiaturas on strong beats and, moreover, by the fragmented phrase structure. The striking use of silence in this aria, and throughout this opera – intentionally breaking the natural flow of the melody – is a masterful gesture. Ellen T. Harris, in her article Silence as Sound: Handel’s Sublime Pauses, details Handel’s use of silence as a dramatic device to the point where, as is the case in “Ho perduto,” it becomes an essential component of the melodic event.

Rodelinda’s next aria “L’empio rigor del fato” (“The wicked cruelty of my fate”) follows a brief recitative in which Grimoaldo offers her the throne he usurped if she agrees to marry him. This aria is her indignant rejection of his proposal. Here, too, Handel continues breaking the phrases; the emphasis on strong beat appoggiaturas and the minor mode are also present, although the sense of foreboding is gone, replaced with a righteous anger expressed in Rodelinda’s almost breathless vocal lines. Noteworthy, also, is the expanded vocal range, from a low D to a high B-flat, no doubt a showcase of Cuzzoni’s impressive abilities in this regard.

In “Lo farò; dirò: spietato” (“I will do it; I will say: ruthless man”), the scheming Eduige promises to return Garibaldo’s ‘love’ once she has had her revenge on Grimoaldo. The beginning of this spirited aria is one of striking originality: she outlines an F major triad on “Lo farò,” after which the orchestra answers with a similarly constructed D minor triad, before cadencing in F major and stating the ritornello. This idea is then repeated throughout at various points and different pitches, with intermittent melismatic passagework in both the voice and the orchestra. The intervallic contrast is also remarkable: it alternates between wide leaps and stepwise writing that indicate conflict at play; Eduige is torn between love and power, a recurring theme in Handel’s operas and not unlike Grimoaldo’s own inner conflict, revealed later in the work.

“Ritorna, oh caro e dolce mio tesoro” (“Return, oh my dear sweet treasure”), Rodelinda’s aria in Act II, is a moment where grace weds simplicity to create a work of staggering beauty. Rodelinda has just learned that her husband Bertarido is alive, and this aria expresses her longing for a reunion with him, gently set over a lulling siciliano rhythm. The mood is maintained through the B section with the same rhythm, hinting perhaps at the determination of her desire.

Act II closes with a ravishing duet between Rodelinda and Bertarido, “Io t’abbraccio” (“I embrace you”), possibly the most tender moment of the opera. Note how Handel waits until the end of Act II to introduce a duet, and at such a tragic juncture: husband and wife embrace one final time, facing certain death. , in his comprehensive study of Handel’s operas, likens the steady eighth-note line as a march to the scaffold for the doomed couple.

From the very beginning of the opera, Handel does not hesitate to establish Grimoaldo as the villain, the usurper of Bertarido’s throne and recipient of Rodelinda’s affections, if she would only succumb to him. Yet he is deeply in love with her, remaining conflicted throughout the opera between his thirst for power and the sincerity of his affections. His final scene in Act III begins with an unsettling accompanied recitative, “Fatto inferno è il mio petto” (“My breast is made a hell”). Here his inner conflict is more obvious than ever before: if he kills Bertarido, he will lose any hope of ever marrying Rodelinda; if he spares Bertarido’s life, he will lose his throne, and possibly Rodelinda as well. Handel’s dramatic flair is once again fully revealed; over alternating wide-leaped dotted rhythms and wild running sixteenth notes, the harmony shifts violently from E minor to remote regions like E-flat major, suggesting Grimoaldo’s tormented state of mind. Then, suddenly the mood changes to a calm arioso, when Grimoaldo turns his focus to the natural world around him. A gentle siciliano (“Pastorello d’un povero armento” – “A shepherd of a humble flock”) concludes with a feeling of resignation. This scene is a stunning psychological portrait of a mind on the brink of madness, foreshadowing similar moments in 19th-century opera (Lucia di Lammermoor being one example).

Like Rodelinda, Handel’s Giulio Cesare in Egitto was an instant hit with the fickle London public. It opened on February 20, 1724 (a year before Rodelinda), and it played for thirteen performances, with a few subsequent revivals in London and abroad. Senesino and Cuzzoni sang the title roles of Caesar and Cleopatra, respectively, alongside as Cornelia, Giuseppe Boschi as Achilla, as Sesto, and Gaetano Berenstadt as . With a large cast, a colorful orchestration (even a double orchestra in Cleopatra’s aria “V’adoro, pupille”), a few coups de théâtre (such as the offstage chorus in Act II), and a unique mix of sensuality and exoticism, Giulio Cesare stands out amongst Handel’s most ambitious, and ultimately successful, projects.

Sesto, son of the slain Pompeo, presents a few vengeance in this opera. The first is “Svegliatevi nel core” (“Awake in my heart”), preceded by the recitative “Vani sono i lamenti” (“Laments are useless”). “Svegliatevi,” in the brooding key of C minor, contains dazzling bravura and points of imitation between the vocal and bass lines. The contrasting B section stands out in a completely different tempo,

meter, and orchestration, although Handel’s added flute parts here are played by in the present performance.

Cleopatra’s first aria, “Non disperar” (“Do not despair”), shows her as a somewhat frivolous young woman, deciding to seduce Caesar, but not before ribbing her brother, Tolomeo. This lighthearted aria in E major is filled with penetrating trills, mordents, and staccato articulations, suggesting her persiflage in the imitative sound of laughter.

Sesto’s aria “Cara speme, questo core” (“Dear hope, this heart”) uses only continuo instruments for the accompaniment, save for a couple of measures at the end where the violins join in. In this unexpected gesture, Handel harkens back to early Baroque opera, reinterpreted here with a highly expressive, melismatic treatment of the vocal line.

Handel’s brilliant use of orchestral color invoking a scene of seduction is evident in Caesar’s “Se in fiorito ameno prato” (“If the little bird hides”) in which he, totally smitten by Cleopatra, compares her to a singing bird. Birdsong is suggested here by extended virtuoso imitation between the voice and a solo violin, interrupted by lively, rustic interjections from the orchestra.

In Act II, Sesto has one additional vengeance aria, “L’angue offeso mai riposa” (“The offended serpent never rests”), in which he seeks to avenge his father by killing Tolomeo. Like “Svegliatevi,” it is presented in the key of C minor, with a striking ritornello – restless in all of its appearances – suggesting Sesto’s pervasively vengeful mood.

Act III presents Cleopatra in drastically altered circumstances: having been taken prisoner by her brother, Cleopatra bemoans her fate in what is probably the most touching moment of Giulio Cesare, the aria “Piangerò la sorte mia” (“I will lament my fate”). The minimal treatment of the melody and its accompaniment heightens this poignant moment, so simple and yet so effective in its lamentation. The mood and meter change abruptly in the B section, when Cleopatra vows to torment her brother after her death. Sharp accented chords in the continuo section accompany sequential, rapid passages in the violins to characterize this brief episode of defiance.

Caesar’s most complex scene also takes place in Act III. A soft, murmuring string ritornello leads to an accompanied recitative in “Dall’ondoso periglio” (“From the turbulent peril”), followed by the aria proper (“Aure, deh, per pietà” – “Breezes, I pray thee”) using the recitative’s introductory ritornello material as accompaniment. The dramatic tension of the recitative returns for a brief moment when the scope of Caesar’s loss in battle overwhelms him, before the gentle breezes reappear, and he resumes his reverie. Noteworthy here is the inventive way in which Handel closely integrates the drama with the formal design in this scene, in ways not seen again until much later in the 18th century.

Apart from the evident ties between Giulio Cesare and Rodelinda (same librettist, and same celebrated cast), some thematic connections can also be detected, particularly with the handling of the main female characters, Cleopatra and Rodelinda. They are amongst the most impressive operatic characters in Handel’s entire opus, having both suffered at the hands of power-hungry men: Cleopatra is taken prisoner by her brother so that he can be the sole ruler, while Rodelinda is largely at the mercy of the usurper who threatens and abuses her, after banishing and later imprisoning her husband. The shifting power dynamics – through which the two women gain a sense of empowerment – serve to align these characters. Cleopatra becomes sole ruler of Egypt, whereas Rodelinda takes her place alongside her husband as ruler of Milan. The expression ‘sense of empowerment’ is used deliberately, for they do

not achieve supreme authority in either case; Egypt remains in the Roman sphere of influence, while Rodelinda rules Milan only in her capacity as the wife of Bertarido.

The two women also differ with one another in various ways, particularly in their contrasting stages of life. Rodelinda, as both a wife and a mother, exudes a certain strength that makes her largely in control of her destiny. She is presented as a truly remarkable woman – the central character in this drama – and one that Handel treats with affection and respect. Cleopatra, on the other hand, at only twenty years of age, is more frivolous and flirtatious, though no less remarkable in her own right. What ultimately unites the two characters is their shared experience of losing – or believing to have lost – loved ones, their suffering, and their experience of love, with all of its agonies and delights, tribulations and exaltations.

Around 1734-35, Handel began introducing organ concertos, featuring himself as soloist, during the intervals of his oratorio performances. These works were later published by in 1738 as Opus 4. Organ Concerto No. 4 in F major stems from this collection. It appears to have first been played during a revival of , an earlier oratorio by Handel. The first movement begins with a tutti ritornello presenting the F major triad in a fanfare-like figuration. The solo writing makes significant use of sequences, yet always with a varied phrase structure. In an example of self-borrowing, the main theme appears in the “Questo è il cielo” chorus in (in a secondary version of the opera). The final concerto movement is fugal, in typical Handelian style: freer, less severe, more galant. The ritornello comprises the exposition and all of the fugal entries, with the solo organ passaggi providing the episodes. This fugal subject was also used in the “Alleluia” chorus of Handel’s oratorio Il trionfo del tempo e della verità (The triumph of time and truth).

The same John Walsh, mentioned above, issued around 1732-33 a set of Trio Sonatas published as Opus 2. The date of these trio sonatas is uncertain, with some claiming that they were written in the early 1720s. The instrumentation was also decidedly ambiguous, so that they could be played by any combination of flutes, , or violins. The opening movement (Larghetto) consists of material that was later used in the first movement of Organ Concerto in B-flat, Op. 4, No. 2. The second movement (Allegro) is in a sprightly 3/8 meter. The passagework present in the Larghetto continues here too, in homophonic treatment, with a more independent continuo line occasionally providing imitation against the upper instruments in a spirited dialogue.

- Sebastian Danila, Instructor, Music Preparer and Researcher, The Orchestra Now

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

James Bagwell, Director, Music Performance Studies, Bard College Frank Corliss, Director, Bard College Conservatory of Music James Mongan, Music Program Coordinator, Bard College Lisa Krueger, Graduate Program Coordinator, Bard College Conservatory Ann Gabler, Concert Office Coordinator, Bard College Conservatory Emmanuel Koh En Yu, Lesson Scheduler, Bard College Conservatory Erica Kiesewetter, Professor of Orchestral Practice, The Orchestra Now Chris Beroes-Haigis, Orchestral Parts Engraver John Schreiner, Organ Curator Christopher Kayden, Photographer