"Lucidissima face/Sonno, cortese sonno" from "La Calisto" by Cavalli :: Ian Howell & Karl Wohlwend

Francesco Cavalli (1602-1676) had a long relationship with St. Mark's Chapel in Venice, initially as a singer under Maestro Claudio Monteverdi, later as organist, and eventually rising to the post of Maestro di Cappella. Though he worked for the church throughout his lifetime, he is best remembered for his operas, and his evolution as a composer mirrored the general shift in Italian opera from recitativo focused monody to more clearly delineated arias and recitativos. In this scene from "La Calisto" (1651), the opera from which "Lucidissima Face" is drawn, we hear two short ariosos sandwiching a
recitativo. In this rendition, the second verse of the first aria is cut. The character, Endimione, is professing his love for Diana, goddess of the hunt and the moon.

Lucidissima face,
Di Tessaglia le note
Non sturbi no i tuoi gire, e la tua pace.

Dagl'atlantici monti
Traboccando le rote;
Febo, del carro ardente, omai tramonti.

Qual sopor repentino
A dolce oblio m'incita
Su quest'erta romito?

Sonno, cortese sonno,
S'alle lusinghe tue pronto mi rendo,
Deh fa tu, che dormendo
Amorosi fantasmi
Mi felicitin l'anima svegliata.

Baciatrice baciata,
Mandami in sen la diva mia crudele,
E stringendo i tuoi lacci in dolci inganni
Fa che morto in tal guisa io viva gl'anni.

Brightest Moon
let not the music of Thessaly
disturb your orbit or your peace.

Let Phoebus, of the shining chariot [the sun], now set,
his wheels weighed down
by the Atlantic mountains.

What sudden sleepiness
invites me to sweet oblivion
on this lonely slope?

Sleep, gentle sleep,
if I yield myself ready to your charms,
please make it so that, in sleeping,
loving spirits might bring joy to my awakened soul.

You who kiss me as I kiss you,
send my cruel goddess to my arms,
and make it so that, in sweet deceit, embracing your bonds,
I might live for years dead like this.

Ian Howell - Countertenor http://www.ianhowellcountertenor.com
Karl Wohlwend - Guitar http://www.columbusclassicalguitar.com

Recorded live June 19th, 2010 in the Huntington Recital Hall of Capital University in Columbus, OH. This performance is from the program "The New Music: 1602 - Present" and was presented by The Columbus Guitar Society.

Audio recorded by Eric French with a pair of Schoeps microphones.
Video recorded with a FlipHD camera and edited in iMovieHD.

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[OlDoinyo]

The Monteverdi influence is quite plain indeed. Interestingly, Monteverdi's own proclivities ran the other way during his lifetime, away from discrete set-pieces (Orfeo) and toward a more musically continuous format (Ulisse, Poppea.)

[serenaluce]

Very beautiful! Bravo! Thanks for posting.

[idaspe]

What a beautiful sound! Pure silk, ongratulations! :o)

[rlee1976]

Gorgeous!

[mradaChris]

Wonderful!

[Rhoda444]

Excellent - Bravo.

[opricnik]

La voce è meravigliosa: bravo davvero! Tutto il successo possibile. Sinceramente.