Gelido in ogni vena (Handel) Sergio Foresti

Gelido in ogni vena from the opera Siroe, re di Persia, HWV 24
by George Frideric Handel (1685-1759)

Sergio Foresti, baritone
Abchordis Ensemble
Andrea Buccarella, conductor

Gelido, in ogni vena
scorrer mi sento il sangue:
l’ombra del figlio esangue
m’ingombra di terror.

E per maggior mia pena
veggio che fui crudele
a un’anima fedele,
a un innocente cor.

TRANSLATION (by David Joseph Yacus):
Cold, in every vein,
I feel my blood running:
the shadow of my deceased son
overwhelms me with terror.

And on top of my pain
I see how cruel I was
to a faithful soul,
to an innocent heart.

from the liner notes to Cieco Amor: Opera arias written for Giuseppe Maria Boschi
(written by Giovanni Battista Graziadio and translated by David Joseph Yacus):

A few months earlier, in London, Boschi had interpreted the role of Cosroe in Siroe, Re di Persia, staged in 1728 at the King’s Theatre in London. The libretto is by Haym, the music by Händel. Cosroe, king of Persia, is forced to sentence his son Siroe to death for supposed treason, a decision that is met with great disapproval of the people. Siroe is framed by the intrigues of the other characters who are moved by revenge, love, and jealousy. Boschi, in the role of Cosroe, once again finds himself in the role of a father and sovereign forced to kill his own son, this time out of obedience to honor and the law. With Gelido in ogni vena (Act III, scene iv), Händel manages to express all the torment and pain of this character as only a great genius can. The dramatic motive of the orchestra, moving slowly through dense and touching harmonies intertwines with a mournful and moving vocal line, in what could be considered some of the most beautiful pages of music ever written.

CD available from Challenge Classics:
https://www.challengerecords.com/products/16111475282432

Art in the video:
[0:42] Portrait of Nasir al-Din Shah by Mirza Abolhassan Khan Ghaffari (1814–1866)
[1:40] Hossein-Ali Khan Mo'ayyer ol-Mamalek (and son?) by Mirza Abolhassan Khan Ghaffari (1814–1866)
[2:42] Portrait of Nasir al-Din Shah Qajar by Mirza Abolhassan Khan Ghaffari (1814–1866)
[3:24] Jalal al-Din Mirza, son of Fath-Ali Shah Qajar by Mirza Abolhassan Khan Ghaffari (1814–1866)
[4:37] Portrait of Jalal al-Din Mirza by Mirza Abolhassan Khan Ghaffari (1814–1866)
[5:37] Ardeshir Mirza and Sulayman Khan Saham al-Dowleh review their troops by Mirza Abolhassan Khan Ghaffari (1814–1866)

Видео Gelido in ogni vena (Handel) Sergio Foresti канала Jeffrey Stivers