Gelido in ogni vena (Vivaldi) Lea Desandre

Gelido in ogni vena from the opera Farnace, RV 711
by Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741)

Lea Desandre, mezzo-soprano
Jupiter Ensemble
Thomas Dunford, lute and direction

Gelido in ogni vena
scorrer mi sento il sangue:
l’ombra del figlio esangue
m’ingombra di terror.
E per maggior mia pena
vedo che fui crudele
a un’anima innocente,
al core del mio cor.

I feel my blood running
ice-cold in every vein;
the shade of my dead son
paralyses me with terror.
And to make my grief even keener
I realize that I was cruel
to a loyal spirit,
an innocent hear.
- translation by Charles Johnston

This aria, which borrows music from the 'Winter'' concerto of The Four Seasons, is sung by Farnace at the height of his despair, as he prepares to kill himself, believing that his wife and son are both dead.

CD available from ALPHA:
https://www.chandos.net/products/catalogue/AJ%200550

Photography in the video by Kyle Thompson:
http://www.kylethompsonphotography.com/

Видео Gelido in ogni vena (Vivaldi) Lea Desandre канала Jeffrey Stivers