In the works of George Frideric Haendel, opera occupies a special place, guiding the master’s life and career for many years. Although only a handful of his works of this genre grace today’s posters, this repertoire is undoubtedly a rich source of arias and ensembles eagerly performed by brilliant singers and enthusiastically received by the audience.
During the recital of an outstanding soloist of the Polish Royal Opera – the soprano Olga Pasiecznik, we will hear excerpts from four of Haendel’s operas. The majestic overture from the opera Lotario will put the audience in a solemn mood, while selected arias from the operas Ariodante, Alcina, and Giulio Cesare will transport them to a world of love, magic and intrigue.
In the first act of the opera Ariodante, Guinevere, who is in love with the titular character, is excited by her father’s approval of her love (Volate, amori), yet already in the second act, wrongly accused of treason, she goes mad with despair (Il mio crudel martoro). The complaints of the sorceress Alcina (Ah! mio cor!), whose magic powers turn out to be too weak to keep her beloved from leaving, will undoubtedly melt everyone’s heart. Equally moving is the love confession of Morgana – the sister of the title character (Tornami a vagheggiar), which closes the first act of the same work. In contrast, the character of Cleopatra from Giulio Cesare goes through a variety of emotions. In Se pietà di me non senti, the queen expresses her deep sensitivity and courage in the face of danger, and the aria Da tempeste was rightly described by the music journalist Piotr Kamiński as “a firework of joyful virtuosity”.
PROGRAM
Georg Friedrich Haendel
Ouverture from the opera Lotario HWV 26
Volate, amori from the opera Ariodante HWV 33
Ah! mio cor! from the opera Alcina HWV 34
Concerto grosso in G major op. 6 No. 1, HWV 319
A tempo giusto | Allegro | Adagio | Allegro | Allegro
Da tempeste from the opera Giulio Cesare HWV 17
Il mio crudel martoro from the opera Ariodante HWV 33
Concerto grosso in D minor op. 3 No. 5, HWV 316
Grave | Allegro | Adagio | Allegro ma non troppo | Allegro
Se pietà di me non senti from the opera Giulio Cesare HWV 17
Tornami a vagheggiar from the opera Alcina HWV 34
PERFORMERS
OLGA PASIECZNIK SOPRANO
THE PERIOD INSTRUMENTS ENSEMBLE OF THE POLISH ROYAL OPERA CAPELLA REGIA POLONA
KRZYSZTOF GARSTKA HARPSICHORD, CONDUCTOR
