I - Handel , Largo / from the opera Serse (Xerxes) by George Frideric Handel.
II - Cecilia Bartoli - Ombra Mai Fu
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Related:
- Handel - Music for the Royal Fireworks IV: La Rejouissance
- Handel - Sarabande
- Handel - The Arrival of the Queen of Sheba
Lyrics:
Ombra mai fu di vegetabile cara ed amabile, soave più.
Ombra mai fu di vegetabile cara ed amabile, soave più.
Cara ed amabile, ombra mai fu di vegetabile cara ed amabile, soave più, soave più.
Ombra mai fu
"Ombra mai fu" is the opening aria from the 1738 opera Serse by George Frideric Handel.
Context
The opera was a commercial failure, lasting only five performances in London after its premiere. In the 19th century, however, the aria was rediscovered and became one of Handel's best-known pieces. Handel adapted the aria from the setting by Bononcini who, in turn, adapted it from the setting by Francesco Cavalli. All three composers had produced settings of the same opera libretto by Nicolò Minato.
Music
Originally composed to be sung by a soprano castrato (and sung in modern performances of Serse by a countertenor, contralto or a mezzo-soprano), it has often been arranged for other voice types and instruments, including solo organ, solo piano, violin and piano, and string ensembles, often under the title "Largo from Xerxes", although the original tempo was larghetto.
Words
The title translates from the Italian as "Never was a shade". It is sung by the main character, Xerxes I of Persia, admiring the shade of a plane tree.
Frondi tenere e belle del mio platano amato per voi risplenda il fato. Tuoni, lampi, e procelle non v'oltraggino mai la cara pace, nè giunga a profanarvi austro rapace.
Ombra mai fu di vegetabile, cara ed amabile, Soave più.Tender and beautiful fronds of my beloved plane tree, let Fate smile upon you. May thunder, lightning, and storms never bother your dear peace, nor may you by blowing winds be profaned.A shade there never was,of any plant,dearer and more lovely,or more sweet.
Cultural references
Performances of this aria are included in several movies. A fully staged version appears in the film Farinelli (1994), a fictionalized biography which recounts the tumultuous relationship between Handel and the famed castrato Farinelli. The piece is also featured in Dangerous Liaisons (1988), in the original Italian, and Pride and Prejudice (TV version, 1995), which used English language lyrics.On 24 December 1906, "Ombra mai fu" may have been the first music to have been broadcast by radio.
This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article Ombra mai fu.
