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ALESSANDRO SCARLATTI (1660 – 1725)

La Gloria di Primavera

PRIMAVERA diana moore, mezzo-soprano

ESTATE suzana ograjenšek, soprano

AUTUNNO clint van der linde, countertenor

INVERNO nicholas phan, tenor

GIOVE douglas williams, bass-baritone

Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra & ChoraleNicholas McGegan, music director

Recorded live at First Congregational Church, Berkeley, CA | October 4-6 & 10, 2015Recording production, engineering, editing, and mastering: David v.R.Bowles (Swineshead Productions, LLC)Assistant engineer: Daniel DavidsenProduction assistant: Boby BorisovRecorded in 5-channel surround sound at 192kHz/24-bit resolution

Pure Audio encoding and Blu-ray authoring: Stefan Bock and Michael Hoffmann (msm studios, Munich, Germany) Music edition provided courtesy of Benedikt PoensgenArt Direction and Design: Heather StewartCover art: Spring. Jan Brueghel the Elder (1568-1625) and Hendrik van Balen (ca.1575-1632)Cover Credit: bpk, Berlin / Bayerische Staatsgemäldesammlungen, Neuberg, Germany/ Art Resource, NY Inside: Portrait of Alessandro Scarlatti, 18th century: artist unknown This recording is made possible by a generous gift from the Waverley Fund. www.philharmonia.org

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photo © rj muna

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parte primaTrack 1 Sinfonia [avanti la Prima Parte] 3:13Track 2 Coro: Nato è già l’Austriaco sole 1:55Track 3 Recitativo: Noi che a vicenda elesse 1:45Track 4 Aria: Già fermò sull’empia ruota 3:32Track 5 Recitativo: Non più sterili, e meste 0:56Track 6 Aria: Più l’Aquila non teme 2:47Track 7 Recitativo: Trasse già l’Istro altero 1:00Track 8 Aria: Fuor dell’urna le bell’onde 6:17Track 9 Recitativo: Nacque a noi nacque al grande genio 1:32Track 10 Aria: Col piacer già la pace riposa 2:40Track 11 Recitativo: Qui dunque ò mie compagne 1:36 Track 12 Coro: L’aura sussurrando 4:06Track 13 Recitativo: Già con umido ciglio 1:13Track 14 Aria: Solca il mar, scioglie le vele 3:49Track 15 Recitativo: Vidi correr audaci 1:39Track 16 Aria: Dopo l’orrore 3:28Track 17 Recitativo: Quante volte quante volte mirai 1:10Track 18 Aria: È più caro il fonte e’l rio 6:41Track 19 Recitativo: Vidi anch’io con orrore più d’un Regno 1:12Track 20 Aria: Arde il ciel saette avventa 2:49Track 21 Recitativo: Tal virtù seco trasse 1:18Track 22 Coro: Vieni ò Re dell’alte sfere 3:04

parte secondaTrack 23 Sinfonia [avanti la Seconda Parte] 3:10Track 24 Recitativo: Già le nostre preghiere 1:04Track 25 Coro: Vieni ò Re dell’alte sfere 0:45Track 26 Recitativo: Ecco che a noi sen viene 0:39Track 27 Aria: Voglio in perpetua calma 4:06Track 28 Recitativo: Stanca è già la mia destra 1:02Track 29 Coro: Se spuntò già di piacere 0:34

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Track 30 Recitativo: Qual mai vi turba, o preme 1:43Track 31 Aria: La tempesta già si desta 2:47Track 32 Recitativo: Pria di formar le stelle 1:50Track 33 Aria: So ben che amor di gloria 3:47Track 34 Recitativo: Con tal favore e l’opra 1:04Track 35 Aria: Tornò già nel mio sen 2:38Track 36 Recitativo: Quante Provincie e Regni 1:10Track 37 Aria: Corre l’onda vagabonda 2:23Track 38 Recitativo: Anch’io potea di tenebrosi orrori 1:27Track 39 Aria: Di cieco orrore e d’ombra 2:15Track 40 Recitativo: Messi del gioir mio 0:58Track 41 Aria: Canta dolce il rosignuolo 5:47Track 42 Recitativo: Trassi dal nulla il tutto 1:48Track 43 Aria: Dell’alba e dell’aurora 3:10Track 44 Recitativo: E voi che parte aveste 0:57Track 45 Coro: Pieno è già d’almo diletto 1:31Track 46 Recitativo: Gran Padre delle stelle 1:07Track 47 Aria: Sull’orme de’ grand’Avi 5:31Track 48 Recitativo: Sì, sì, poiché a te piacque 0:37Track 49 Duetto: Arda avvampi l’alme accenda 3:20Track 50 Recitativo: La gloria de’ grand’Avi 0:33Track 51 Aria: L’offra sempre in pace, e in guerra 3:00Track 52 Recitativo: Chiaro qual nacque al mondo 1:37Track 53 Aria: Il destin la sorte, e il fato 5:23Track 54 Recitativo: Giove, e tu non rispondi? 1:00Track 55 Aria: Fa che Zeffiro tra fronde 5:32Track 56 Recitativo: Deh quell’Amor che inspira 0:51Track 57 Coro: Conti co’ i giorni 1:00Track 58 Recitativo: Scelsi sull’alte sfere 1:55Track 59 Coro: Ò bell’età dell’oro 2:45

TOTAL TImINg: 138:36

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A Birthday Celebration of Imperial Hope

A lot was riding on the shoulders of baby Archduke Leopold at his birth on April 13, 1716. He was the male heir so fervently wished for by his father, Charles VI, Holy Roman Emperor, to continue the Hapsburg dynasty in Austria and prevent another brutal war of succession such as that just concluded over the throne of Spain. In 1700 his unfortunate relative Charles II of Spain died heirless, and when Charles attempted to claim his kingdom, he precipitated a costly war with France, known as the War of the Spanish Succession. Although he lost Spain to Philip of Anjou, grandson of Louis XIV, Charles VI received a consolation prize in the Treaty of Utrecht (1713) consisting of a package of the regions of Milan, Sardinia, the Austrian Netherlands, and the Kingdom of Naples.

The serenata La Gloria di Primavera was commissioned by the Neapolitan Prince Gaetano d’Aragona and his culture-loving wife, Sanseverino, as it was expedient for them to host an opulent celebration in Naples to honor the heir of Naples’ recently acquired sovereign. They commissioned their court composer, Alessandro Scarlatti (1660-1725), already Europe’s foremost composer of Italian serious opera (opera seria), to compose a grand serenata on a text by Aurora’s private secretary, the Abbate Nicolo Giovo, who eight years earlier had provided the text for a serenata by Handel, Aci, Galatea e Polifemo (HWV 72). Scarcely a month passed between the noble birth and the premiere of this work on May 19, 1716, a remarkable feat of musical production comparable to Handel’s 28-day composition of Messiah.

Although the imperial pregnancy may have given them some lead time for anticipation, only after Naples received the confirmation that the newborn was a male could appropriate text be written, over fifty movements composed, and a cast had to be engaged and rehearsed.

The engagement of preeminent singers of the time further proves that no expense was spared in mounting this production. The soprano roles of Spring and Summer were given to the renowned castrato Matteo Sassano and Margherita Durastanti, later to rise to fame in London singing the roles of leading women and men in Handel’s Italian operas. Sassano’s international career had been linked with Scarlatti’s for the thirty years since he first appeared in Clearco in Negroponte at age nineteen. He was also closely connected with the Hapsburg dynasty in Madrid, having been nightly engaged to distract the melancholic monarch, King Charles II of Spain. During the War of the Spanish Succession, Sassano served Emperor Charles VI in Vienna from 1700 to 1709, returning to Naples after the Hapsburgs retook the city. Known as “the nightingale of Naples” (il Rosignuolo di Napoli), he received a marvelous nightingale aria from Scarlatti. In addition to Sassano and Durastanti, the exquisite bass Antonio Manna (Giove) was given arias filled with technical challenges for a voice with a surprisingly large range. The similarity of the vocal writing to the role of Polifemo in Handel’s Aci, Galatea e Polifemo suggests that Manna also may have been the anonymous bass for whom Handel wrote his serenata.

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While the genre of serenata (an extended multi-movement work written for one-off occasions such as marriages and birthdays) may be less familiar than opera seria, the forms are nearly identical. Secco recitatives, accompanied only by harpsichord, lutes (theorbos), and cello, introduce most of the arias. Jove, however, appropriate to his station, sings recitative accompanied by the orchestra, providing a “halo” of harmony that underscores the profundity and significance of his character (just as Bach does for Jesus in the St. Matthew Passion).

The arias themselves are cast in the form known as the da capo aria. Two sentences (A and B) are sung with considerable repetition of text, with introductions and interludes (known as ritornellos) played by the orchestra. The notation da capo (literally, “from the top”) appears at the end of sentence B, instructing the performers to repeat the A section once more, creating a symmetrical A-B-A form; this repetition also allows the performers the opportunity to improvise ornamental riffs on the original melody. La Gloria has but one duet (Track 49), but a number of cori (not choruses per se, but an ensemble of the principal characters sometimes supplemented by additional voices) articulate sections of the libretto.

While the performance of some serenatas may have been stand-and-sing affairs much like oratorios, we know that the performance of La Gloria featured sumptuous sets and costumes by Christoforo Schor and probably one special effect with stage action. Jove would likely have descended from the stage rigging in a cloud machine, literally a deus ex machina.

One could ask why the noble patrons—knowing that infant mortality among the inbred Hapsburgs was unusually high—might not have waited until the newborn emperor-elect was more than a month old to celebrate his birth in such an extravagant fashion. However, this work is as much a celebration of Austrian hegemony as it is a birthday tribute. We may never know which of the Hapsburg nobility, if any, were in attendance at its only performances in Naples, or what dispatch the royal family may have received about it, but it seems likely that Prince Gaetano and Aurora stood to gain favor with their new rulers in Vienna.

Unfortunately, the life of this extraordinary work runs parallel to that of its dedicatee. Just months after the premiere, on November 4, the celebrated infant died. Eventually, upon the death of his father, this would cause his younger sister, Maria Theresa, to have to defend her right to the imperial throne against the whole of continental Europe in another bloody war, the War of the Austrian Succession.

The first audience of La Gloria was so taken by it that after its premiere on May 19, 1716, it had to be performed twice again, a rare occurrence for such occasional works. But thereafter, the work has been neither edited nor performed until now.

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The individual movements may be organized thematically into a series of scenes.

Part I Tracks 1-12. Celebration of the Noble Birth Tracks 13-20. Reflections on the Past (War) and Present (Peace) Tracks 21-22. Proposal of the Contest and the Invocation of Jove

Part II Tracks 23-26. Further Invocation and Arrival of Jove Tracks 27-33. In Praise of Jove Tracks 34-43. The Contest of the Seasons Tracks 44-47. Resolution of the Contest Tracks 48-59. Benedictions for the Future Empire

Synopsis. Part One. Receiving the joyful news of the newborn heir, each of the four seasons reflects on the significance of this noble birth to the Austrian (aka Holy Roman) Empire. Spring (Primavera), Summer (Estate), Autumn (Autunno), and Winter (Inverno) in turn sing a recitative and aria describing imperial symbols such as the eagle and the Danube, emblematic of what Spring describes as “we, the storied elect.” A second cycle of arias is introduced with recitatives on a poetic juxtaposition of “then and now” (in Italian, or and già) contrasting the horrors of the recently ended War of the Spanish Succession, personified by the Roman goddess of war Bellona, with the pleasures and serenity of the ensuing peace, historically known as the Peace of Utrecht. However, when Spring audaciously claims higher honors than the rest owing to the date of the royal birth, the other seasons take exception, and all agree to invoke Jove to be their judge.

Part Two. A solemn invocation greets the arrival of Jove, and Spring sums up for him the arguments of her rivals: of Summer for the child’s conception, Autumn for the fecundity of “the Imperial breast,” Winter for the growing strength in the womb, and Spring herself takes credit (again) for the child’s birth. Each season, in that order, then makes their claim by amplifying these themes with a recitative and aria, leaving Spring last up to win over the already biased Jove with a double play: an aria both evoking the song of a nightingale and sung in the seductive rhythm of a siciliana. The predictable outcome is accepted by the other seasons without protest. The remainder of the work consists of benedictions from each season on the newborn and his role in the Empire, a return to the textual themes of the opening scene: a continuation of the Hapsburg line, immortality, and protection from threats against the Empire (specifically Ottomans, Thracians, Asians, and Anatolian Turks). Jove gets the final word, claiming the infant as his spiritual son, and all proclaim the return of a beautiful Age of Gold (Ò bell’età d’oro).

The musical richness of the piece reflects the virtuoso cast at Scarlatti’s disposal. The role of Primavera (Spring) was sung by the soprano castrato Matteo Sassano, nicknamed “the nightingale of Naples” (il rosignuolo di Napoli); whether his nightingale aria in Part Two was a response to this reputation or vice-versa remains uncertain. Estate (Summer) was sung by Margherita Durastanti, later to be known for her numerous roles as a leading lady (and leading man) in Handel’s operas at the London’s Royal Academy in the 1720’s. Whoever was cast in the bass role of Giove (Jove) must have been singer of exceptional technique and extraordinary range, exploited by Scarlatti with downward and upward leaps by as much as an octave and a half.

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As in opera seria, the roles are ranked in a hierarchy. The arias for the title role, Primavera (Spring), are the most numerous and multi-faceted, ranging from jaunty (Track 4) to virtuosic (Track 31) to poignant and affective (Track 53). Because this traditionally feminine role was being sung by a leading man (primo uomo), the role of Estate (Summer) is technically speaking the prima donna. Though appearing in the score as “Soprano II” in the ensembles, her lines are consistently higher than Primavera and exploit Durasanti’s expressive coloratura (Track 6) and affective range from pathos (Track 16) to delight (Track 35). Autunno (Autumn) is a more dramatic role clearly written for an alto with an agile technique (Track 37), power (Track 51), and plangent expression (Track 18). While we might expect a blustery bass to be singing Inverno (Winter), Scarlatti cast the tenor Gaetano Borghi in the role, filling his arias with dramatically powerful coloraturas (Tracks 10 & 20) sometimes extended to exhaustive lengths (Track 47). Though he appears only in Part II, Giove (Jove) is god of considerable personality, first singing in the pompous dotted rhythms of the French overture (Track 27) and making pronouncements in accompanied recitatives. His second aria (Track 33), however, is an intimate aria di cantabile in which his voice breaks with expressive sighs (suspirans). He becomes even less god-like in his scherzo-like final aria (Track 43), conveying a mood that is, well, downright jovial.

The orchestral writing is colorful and varied. The imperial significance of the noble birth is announced in the Introduzione to Part I by a pair of trumpets followed by a flurry of string fanfares and passagework, juxtaposed with a trio of two oboes and bassoon in the style of a concerto grosso. This scoring recurs in the final movement (Track 59) with the addition of tutti and solo vocal lines. The single duet (Track 49) is given a singular scoring of five-part strings set in lines for unison violins, violas, two independent cello parts—each with its own lute and figured bass, and a third continuo group of harpsichord and bass. In contrast to the complexity of these movements, a simple two-line texture of both violin and oboe parts in unison against the bass engage in a witty dialogue with Jove’s syncopated vocal line (a style known as alla zoppa) (Track 43).

A particular characteristic of Scarlatti’s vocal writing often occurs in the arias. While the orchestral ritornellos are played by all of the instruments of the basso continuo section (cello, bassoon, bass, harpsichord, lute), when the voice enters the harpsichord and bass drop out, leaving the lowest sounding string part in either the cello or viola; such a passage, called a bassetto, creates a sense of string sonority floating under and around the vocal line, absent the depth of the bass and percussive harmony of the harpsichord.

Allusions to nature abound in this musical landscape of imperial Austria. The Danube winds around the feet of the newborn archduke in Autumn’s first aria (Track 8). Leaping octaves depict rays of sunlight in Summer (Track 16), and flashes of descending scales (tiratas) and spiky arpeggios conjure Winter’s storm (Track 20). Gently cascading violins and divided violas accompany Autumn’s description of rivers set free from icy obstruction (Track 18), and Spring’s vocal acrobatics conjures the fury of a shipwreck tossed in a tempest (Track 31). Pastoral images are created by two oboes in Spring’s nightingale aria (Track 41) and the solo flute which twitters among whispering trees and grasses described by Summer (Track 55).

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A particularly appealing image is Scarlatti’s frequent use of a musical “topic” known as zefiro (zephyr), used to represent breezes, fountains, and streams through the undulation of parallel thirds or sixths in wavelike repetitions over a slowly moving bass (Tracks 8, 12, 18, 29). This underscores the repeated theme of peace that has now come to the Empire. The opposite effect is created by bombilans, rapidly repeated notes in the trumpets and strings used for agitation, especially of military themes (Track 51).

La Gloria di Primavera is found in eight manuscript sources, not all in direct correlation. Since there is no original autograph, a modern edition must be based on the analysis of the eight manuscripts. Four contemporary transcriptions written by professional copyists are found in Naples. These provide a clear and complete idea of the composition. The transcriptions found in Vienna and Munich take on a special role, having been owned by or connected to the library of Ralph Georg Kiesewetter (1773-1850), a passionate collector of manuscripts and admirer of Scarlatti. A note found on the Munich transcription states that it was based on “original sources” from Kiesewetter’s library, and because he was capable of differentiating Scarlatti autographs from transcriptions, it suggests that a real Scarlatti autograph may once have existed in Vienna. In any event, the Munich transcription completes or corrects some obvious mistakes that can be found in the Neapolitan manuscripts. There is also a notation by Kiesewetter on the Vienna transcribed score that La Gloria di Primavera was performed in Vienna “amid loud applause” on December 26, 1825, the 100th anniversary of the composer’s death.

Important for the preparation of this performance was an almost unknown contemporary transcription of Scarlatti’s serenata. A manuscript found in Hamburg with the title The Introduction to a Serenade Composed by Sig. Alessandro Scarlatti, upon the Birth of the late King of the Romans, which—because of its vague title—had not yet made it into the catalog of Scarlatti’s oeuvre. But a study of this manuscript showed that this compilation contained not just the Introduction but also all the arias and ensembles, though in a different order. This obviously English manuscript could have been used for a performance in London on March 28, 1721. Most likely it was Durastanti who brought the work to England and sang it with other members of the Royal Academy, including Senesino.

Philharmonia’s recording of this work, neglected for nearly 300 years, makes another significant contribution to the recorded Scarlatti repertoire, as we have done with his Vespers of St. Cecilia. This is not a peripheral work by some second-tier composer, but a major masterwork by a giant of the Baroque period at the top of his game. That Scarlatti could have created such an elaborate and substantive work without visiting it again in the nine years remaining before his death in 1725 attests to the fecundity of his talent. Had he been given the opportunity to repurpose his serenata for the nativity of the archduke into an oratorio on the nativity of Christ—as Handel would surely have done—the extraordinary music of La Gloria di Primavera might not have had to wait for Philharmonia to bring it once again to the attention of the public.

—Bruce Lamott

[I am indebted to the research of Prof. Benedikt Poensgen, both for his edition of the work and for his informative introduction on the details of its creation.]

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D-Hs ND VI 24, Staats- und Universitäts-Bibliothek Hamburg

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La Gloria di PrimaveraSerenata in due parti di Alessandro Scarlatti

Libretto di Niccolò Giuvoenglish translation by joe mcclinton

PARTE PRIMA DISC 1 Track 1 Sinfonia [avanti la Prima Parte] Track 2 CoroPrimavera, Estate, Autunno, InvernoNato è già l’Austriaco soletutto l’orbe ad illustrar.Né la terra più si duolenel vedersi insanguinar.

Più di trombe il suon guerrieronon s’ascolti risuonar.Pace a noi pace all’Imperopiacque a Giove al fin donar.

Viva Carlo e la sua prole,dica ogn’or voce festiva.Sempre in questa bassa molel’uno e l’altra regni e viva

Track 3 RecitativoPrimaveraNoi che a vicenda elessel’Almo Fattore a dominar su gl’anni,e che rapidi vanninon permette che sciolga il veglio alatofuora del nostro antico e vasto Impero.Noi sì, per l’orbe interonon più mesto, e turbatofacciamo risuonar gioconde note.Direm: più non percuoteaspro furor di guerrae Campagne, e Capanne e soglie Auguste.Direm l’ire vetusteson d’irata Bellona, e spente, e domee l’Eroe sol d’ulivo orna le chiome

Track 4 AriaGià fermò sull’empia ruotaresa immotala fortuna amiche piante.

PART ONE SeasonsNow is born the Sun of Austria,bringing light to the world.No longer does the earth lamentat being drenched in blood.

Let the trumpets’ warlike soundbe stilled.Jove is pleased to give us, and the Empire, peace at last.

“Long live Karl and his son,”let joyous voices cry.May both of them live and reign forever here below.

SpringWe, whom the Creator choseto rule the year in alternation,and whom old winged Time forbidsto spread our fleet pinionsbeyond our vast, ancient realms;throughout a worldno longer sad and troubled,let us make notes of joy resound.We will say: The harsh madness of warno longer battersthe fields, and hovels, and royal thrones.We will say: The ancient wrathof furious Bellona is spent and tamed,and the hero is helmed with only an olive wreath

Fortune has now set a kindly footagainst her cruel wheel, and stayed its motion;

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Se a far schermo alle ruinenacque al fineil bramato Austriaco Atlante.

Track 5 RecitativoEstateNon più sterili, e mestevede l’Aquile sue l’Austria regnante;ministra di tempesteguardò varia incostante la Discordia,che regna in cuore infido,lunga stagion già l’infecondo nido.Pietà pietà poi vinseonde la regal Proleaprì per nostra pacela pupilla vivacedell’avita sua gloria al chiaro sole.

Track 6 AriaPiù l’Aquila non temedi serpe crudo infidoche ‘l dolce, e caro nidosparge di rio velen.

Se mentre d’ira fremevedendo i suoi periglila Prole arma d’artigli,e le difende il sen

Track 7 RecitativoAutunnoTrasse già l’Istro alterodi sua nuova fortuna il crin dell’onde,e sull’umide spondeposando il fianco anticochiamò delle sue Ninfe il Coro amico;e disse: or pronte andate,scegliendo i più bei fior del prato ameno,e l’auree chiome, e ’l seno,e ’l molle fianco, e ’l grembo,e delle spoglie il lembocon industria gentilea gara ornate e Carole intrecciate,finché le mie bell’acquebacino il piede al nuovo Eroe, che nacque.

Track 8 AriaFuor dell’urna le bell’ondeco’l soave mormorio

For to shield us from ruinthe yearned-for Austrian Atlasis born at last.

SummerRoyal Austria no longer beholds its eagleschildless and sad;Discord, bearer of storms,changeable and inconstant,mistress of deceitful hearts, has kept the royal nest unfruitful for too long.Mercy has triumphed,now that a royal Son,bringing us peace,has opened his lively eyesto the bright sun of his ancestral glory.

The mother eagle no longer fearsthe cruel, deceitful serpentdripping evil venomon her sweet, beloved nest;

For, trembling with rageat the sight of such danger,she has armed her Son with talonsand defends his breast.

AutumnThe Danube, proud of his new fortune,has lifted his head from the waves;resting his ancient flankon the wet banks,he has summoned the friendly chorus of his nymphs,and said: Go quickly now,choose the loveliest flowers from the sweet meadow,and compete in gentle industryto adorn your golden hair and bosoms,your tender flanks and laps,and the hems of your garments,and weave dancing songs,while my lovely waterskiss the newborn hero’s feet.

Gently overflowing their bed, the pretty waves, sweetly murmuring,

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par che dican: gelo riopiù non frena i nostri passi.E bagnando ogn’or le spondepiù fastose, e più superbevan tra fiori, e van tra l’erbea baciare or piante or sassi.

Track 9 RecitativoInvernoNacque a noi nacque al grande geniode suoi grand’Avi il pegno eletto a rischiarar con nuova luce il mondo;nacque e tal già spandecon suon lieto, e giocondo,fama del nato Eroeche nuovo aspetto prende al nuovo piacerl’Italia afflittadesolata, e sconfittalunga stagion l’oppresseorrore, e pena; or già si rasserenas’avvalora conforta ed assicurase delle forti muradi cui si cinge il vago seno alterogià nacque il Nume e ’l difensor guerriero.

Track 10 AriaCol piacer già la pace riposasotto l’ombra d’alloro novello.

E la gloria più lieta, e fastosacustodisce un riposo sì bello.

Track 11 RecitativoPrimaveraQui dunque ò mie compagnevenite alla grand’oprasi sciolga il labbro a lieto riso, e al canto.

EstateSi spieghi omai si scopracon qual fasto sovrano e con qual vantoper le nostre campagneandar può di sua sorte ogn’alma altera.

AutunnoPoiché di sfera in sferadalla sua chiara stellascese l’Anima grande e la rubbella

seem to say: The wicked icewill hold us back no more.And bathing ever more festive and more splendid banks,they glide among flowers and grasses,to kiss now the plants, and now the stones.

WinterTo us, and to the great lineageof his great ancestors, is born the Chosen Oneto brighten the world with new light;he is born,and word of the newborn hero spreadswith such a happy, joyous soundthat Italy, afflicted,desolate, defeated,is transformed at this new delight.Though long oppressed by horrorand suffering, now it brightens,gathers strength, comfort and assurance;for now is born the divinity and warrior who will defend the mighty wallsthat gird the nation’s fair and lofty breast.

Peace and pleasure lie at rest in the shade of the new laurel tree.

And the happiest and most grandiose gloryWatches over such sweet repose.

SpringThen, my companions,come take part in this great deed,open your lips in happy laughter and song.

SummerLet us now unfold, let us revealwith what pride, what sovereign pomp,each soul, proud of its fate,may walk our land.

AutumnFor from sphere to sphere,from its bright stara great soul has descended, and rebellious,

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pena ria già sen caddea lieti carmi sciogliam la voce.

InvernoParmi d’ogni onor d’ogni laudee del comun dilettodegno l’alto soggettose l’Augusto Campion tra noi già natoviene a dar leggi alla Fortuna e al Fato.

Track 12 CoroPrimavera, Estate, Autunno, InvernoL’aura sussurrando,il fonte mormorando,il bosco senz’orrori,il prato pien di fiori,porga segni di piacer.

Rida ogn’almalieta in calmaogni core arde d’amorené più turbi il bel serenofiero affanno, rio velenoche non fa già mai goder.

Track 13 RecitativoPrimaveraGià con umido ciglio,d’ogni fiorito suolomirai l’amenità sparire a volo;e le campagne incoltesparse con empio orror d’ossa insepolte;mirai d’armi, e stragiogni fertil terrenorendersi ingombro, e pieno,e il lume de suoi ragginegarli ancora inorridito il sole.Or non si lagna, e duole,scevro di rei timori, e d’aspri affanni,il cor che gode, e non paventa inganni.

Track 14 AriaSolca il mar, scioglie le vele se mai posa il vento, e l’onda e la spondalascia il provido nocchier.

evil pain has lost its power;so let us raise our voices in happy song.

WinterThis seems to me a noble theme,worthy of all praise and honorand general delight:since the royal champion now born among ushas come to rule over Fortune and Fate.

SeasonsLet the whispering breeze,the murmuring spring,the forest free from terrors,the meadow full of flowers,herald delight.

Let every soul smile,happy in its calm;let every heart swell with love,and may this tranquility never again be troubledby cruel distress – an evil poisonwhich never gives joy.

SpringWith tearful eye I have seenthe beauty of the flowering earthvanish in an instant,and the barren countrysidestrewn in cruel horror with unburied bones.I have seen armies and carnageclutter and fill every fertile field,and even the horrified sun withheldthe light of its rays.Now our hearts no longer lament or complain;free from cruel fears and harsh distress,they rejoice and fear no deception.

When the wind and waves settle, the prudent helmsman puts out from shore, hoists sail and ploughs the sea.

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Dopo affanno, e duol crudelecosì l’alma non paventama contentagode in calma di piacer.

Track 15 RecitativoEstateVidi correr audacidi Bellona i seguacidove certo, e sicuro era il periglioné frenare i lor passigelosa cura o intenso amor di Figlio;E ’l Figlio istesso al Padrefarsi ribelle al vario suon dell’armi,e delle trombe ai carmicorrer tinti di sanguei Fiumi ancora; e la Madre,e la Suora cercando i suoi più carisovra le nude arene forse del sangue lor sparse, e macchiate stampare orme d’amor ma sventurate. Or però tal s’aggiragioia improvvisa entro al mio cor che brillache in ogni loco ammiraoggetti di piacer la mia pupilla.

Track 16 AriaDopo l’orroredi notte oscurasi fa più caroil sol che chiarone reca il dì.

Tal già sicuradi non penaresa più brillaree l’alma e ’l coreche già languì.

Track 17 RecitativoAutunnoQuante volte quante volte miraigiacer col servo il suo Signore estinto,e ’l vincitor col vinto.Quante volte miraile Nuore, e ’l vecchio Padrefra le sconfitte squadrechiamando il Figlio e ’l dolce sposo a nomesquarciarsi il petto, e lacerar le chiome.

Just so, after affliction and cruel sorrow,the soul has no fearbut delights, calm and contented,in pleasure.

SummerI have seen those called to follow Bellonaboldly runwhere danger was certain and sure;no tender care or deep lovefor a son could slow their steps.I have seen sons fight their own fathers,obeying different calls to arms;and at the song of the trumpet,I have also seen the rivers run red with blood; and mothersand sisters seeking their dear ones,setting their loving, unfortunate footstepson the bare battleground, wettedand spotted perhaps with their loved ones’ blood.Now, though, such sudden joyfills my heart that it shines,and everywhere my eyes seesights of pleasure.

After the horrorof a dark nightthe sun that turnsthe day to lightis all the more welcome;

Just so, now surethat they will not suffer,the spirit and heartthat once languishedcan shine all the brighter.

AutumnHow many times, how many, have I seenthe servant fallen beside his dead master,and the conqueror beside the conquered.How many times have I seenwives and old fathersgo among the defeated troops,beating their breast and tearing their hair,calling their sons’ and dear husbands’ names.

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Or degli affanni mieisento placato al fin l’aspro rigore,e sol porgano i Deiper pietà del mio mal contenti al core.

Track 18 AriaÈ più caro il fonte e ’l rioquando scioglie il piè d’argentodopo il gel che lo trattiene.

Tal già sento nel cor mioche più dolce è quel contentoche a noi vien dopo le pene.

Track 19 RecitativoInvernoVidi anch’io con orrore più d’un Regnodal foco arso, e distrutto;e il vincitor superbomirar con ciglio asciuttodi Popoli già vinti il duolo acerbo;e su l’afflitte genticeneri infelicispargersi poi di furiosi ventie di chi muore, e langueil mesto suono udii roco, e doglioso,e l’empia strage, e il sanguemirarsi nel passar da Eroe fastoso.Or spavento, e terrorenon mi punge o mi assalepoiché Marte e Bellonanon più d’arme risuonama sol Palla, e Minerva han pregio uguale.

Track 20 AriaArde il ciel saette avventama non teme il sacro alloro

Come quello non pavental’alma mia di rio martoro.

Track 21 RecitativoPrimaveraTal virtù seco trassedalla parte più puraonde a noi scese l’Alma,che a degne imprese formolla a suo piacerl’alto motore: è mio

Now I feel the harshness of my sorrowsis soothed at last,and for pity at my suffering, may the Godsgrant only contentment to my heart.

The spring and the brook are all the dearerwhen their silvery foot is set freefrom the ice that restrained it.

Just so, in my heart I now feel how much sweeter is that happinesswhich comes to us after sorrow.

WinterI too saw with horror more than one realmburning in fire and destroyed;I saw the haughty conquerorlook on the bitter pain of the conqueredwith a dry eye;I saw afflicted peoplesstrewn with ashesby furious winds;and I heard the dismal, hoarse, painful soundof those who were suffering and dying,and watched a conquering hero witnesscruel carnage and blood as he passed.Now fear and terrordo not afflict or assail me,for Mars and Bellonano longer sound to arms,but Pallas and Minerva alone enjoy equal esteem.

The sky is aflame, hurling thunderbolts,but the sacred laurel feels no fear.

Just like the laurel, my souldoes not fear cruel suffering.

SpringThis spirit brings such virtue with himfrom the purest spheres from which he has come down to us,that the Mover on high has been pleasedto destine him for worthy feats; but to me,

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è mio però l’onore,s’ella fra noi tanti contenti adunas’io fui del nato Eroeeletta ad infiorar l’Augusta Cuna.

EstateDi tal vanto pretendoesserne a parte anch’io,AutunnoÈ pur mia questa gloria,InvernoIo non mi rendo facil trionfoall’altrui voglie ardite.

PrimaveraGiudice di mia litedunque Giove facciamo,

EstateLieto, e contento vi applaude il corde pregi suoi geloso.

AutunnoIo v’acconsento,

InvernoIo ripugnar non oso.

Track 22 CoroPrimavera, Estate, Autunno, InvernoVieni ò Re dell’alte sferee porgi a noi la pace.

Se spuntò già di piacereun seren raggio vivacese per far l’alme goderespeme più non è fallacesian le gioie più sincere,se donarle a noi ti piace.

Fine della Prima Parte

to me belongs the honor when in our midst this spirit brings such happiness,for I was chosen to deck with flowersthe newborn hero’s royal cradle.

SummerI too claim a shareof that honor.AutumnThat glory is mine too.WinterI will not easily yieldto your bold ambitions.

SpringThen let us make Jovethe judge of my suit.

SummerMy heart, happy and content, applauds this,though jealous to uphold my rights.

Autumn I consent.

Winter I dare not refuse.

SeasonsCome, o King of the high spheres,and bring peace among us.

If a calm, lively ray of pleasurehas now dawned,if hope is now assuredso that souls can rejoice,let our joy grow more sincereif you are pleased to grant it to us.

End of Part One

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PARTE SECONDA Track 23 Sinfonia avanti la Seconda ParteTrack 24 RecitativoPrimaveraGià le nostre preghieredel supremo Rettoredella terra e del Ciel, giunsero al core.E già dall’alte sfereal nostro udito arriva il dolce suono,e l’armonia soave.

EstateOgni molestae grave cura che il cuorne pugna, ignota forzao la fuga o l’amorza.

AutunnoGià di sua pura lucechiaro su gl’occhi miei sfavilla lampo.

InvernoE seco pur conducela giustizia, e l’amore ond’ardo, e avvampo.

Track 25 CoroPrimavera, Estate, Autunno, InvernoVieni ò Re dell’alte sfereVieni, e porgi a noi la pace.

Track 26 RecitativoPrimaveraEcco che a noi sen viene,Estatee a noi d’intorno, giàdel perpetuo giornol’almo splendor s’avanza,

Autunnoe di dilettoor n’empie il seno il suo divino aspetto.

InvernoGià n’odo la vocea cui servono i venti e le procellela luna, il sole, il fato, e l’auree stelle.

PART TWO SpringOur prayers have now touchedthe heart of the supremeRuler of Heaven and Earth.And from the highest spheressweet sounds and soft harmonynow come to our ears.

SummerA strange powerbanishes or soothesall sadness, all heavy carethat troubles the heart.

AutumnThe bright flash of his pure lightdazzles my eyes.

WinterAnd with him he also bringsjustice and love, which set my heart aflame.

SeasonsCome, o King of the high spheres,come, and bring us peace.

SpringBehold, he comes to us.SummerThe life-giving splendor of eternal day surrounds us.

AutumnHis divine appearancefills our hearts with delight.

WinterI hear the voicethat commands the winds and tempests,the moon, sun, destiny, and the golden stars.

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Track 27 AriaGioveVoglio in perpetua calma,che goda che viva ogni fedel.

Voglio che lieta ogn’almafulmini non paventi,e che sol di contentiogn’or dia segni il Ciel.

Track 28 RecitativoStanca è già la mia destravindice sì, ma giustadi fulminare, e d’atterrar Giganti,e dopo tanti fieri affanni, e disastrivò che a prò del mortal ridano gl’astri.Già l’Impero è diviso;or chi sarà che possa mover guerras’io son Giove nel Cielo,e il già nato Regnante è nella Terra.

Track 29 CoroPrimavera, Estate, Autunno, InvernoSe spuntò già di piacereun seren raggio vivace.Se per far l’alme goderespeme più non è fallace.Sia le gioie più sincere,se donarle a noi ti piace.

Track 30 RecitativoGioveQual mai vi turba, o premedi nostra pace a scorno fiero sdegno, o dolore in sì bel giorno?

PrimaveraPende ò Giove imortale dubbia lite e fra noiChe decider tu dei s’unqua ti cale.Alla bramata Prolediè l’Està le primiere aure di vita,e in questa bassa molea sconsolata genteporse l’Autunno aitapublicando fecondo il seno Augusto.E più forte, e robusto,

JoveI command that every faithful heart shall rejoice and live in everlasting peace.

I command that every soul shall walk in happiness and never fear the thunderbolt,and that Heaven shall forever foretellcontentment alone.

My hand,avenging, yet just,is weary of thundering and casting down Giants,and after so much suffering and disaster,I command the stars to smile on mortals.My rule I now share,and who shall there be that can make warif I am Jove in Heaven,and the newborn boy reigns on Earth?

SeasonsIf a calm, lively ray of pleasurehas now dawned,if hope is now assuredso that souls can rejoice,let our joy grow more sincereif you are pleased to grant it to us.

JoveWhat harsh anger or pain can trouble you and defies our peaceon such a happy day?

SpringBetween us, immortal Jove,an undecided dispute prevailsthat you must decide, if you so deign.Summer gave the first breath of lifeto the much-desired son,and in this earthly realmAutumn comforteda despairing folk, by making it knownthat the royal mother was with child.Freezing Winter, by being less harsh and severe,

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rese il parto innocente men rigido, e men fiero il verno algente. Al fin la Primaveraaccolse poi d’Europa il gran soggettoquando nacque al gran Padre al trono, e regno.Ma di noi qual mai siapiù grande il pregio, e l’opraNon v’è chi lo discopra,altri che tu veracenon fia chi porga, o donia discordi staggioni amica Pace.

Track 31 AriaLa tempesta già si desta,e ne spinge a naufragar.

Pria che resti il legno assortotu n’addita il segno, e’ l portoe procella sì rubellasolo attendi a serenar.

Track 32 RecitativoGiovePria di formar le stellee di dar vita a questa bassa molepria degl’anni, e del sole,nell’eccelsa mia mente, a cui nulla d’oscuro era d’intorno,era chiaro, e presenteciò ch’avvenir dovea in sì bel giorno. Sapea, che in questa estateimmersa in duol profondoda Pianta illustre alteranascer dovea Rampolloche gran parte del mondodovea coprir con l’ombra,e che bramati frutti degni d’onore,ne la stagion più acerba coglier l’Istro dovea con man superba, e ben conobbi al finequal vi dovea recar barbara guerra,con piante ancor bambine,stampando orme d’onor sopra la terra.

Track 33 AriaSo ben che amor di gloriain voi desta un pensierod’affanno, e di dolor.

endowed this innocent birth with greater vigor and strength. Lastly, Springwelcomed Europe’s great child, as he was born to a great Father for the throne and realm.But which of us has deservedthe greatest honor, and done the greatest deed?None can discover that;none but you, truthful god,can bring friendly peaceamong the quarreling seasons.

The tempest awakes,and threatens shipwreck.

Before the ship is swallowed up,point out the destination and portand turn all your care to calm the rebellious storm.

JoveBefore I made the starsand gave life to this earthly realm,before the years existed and the sun,my all-knowing mind,from which nothing is concealed,clearly and distinctly foresaw what would come to pass on this happy day.I knew that in this summerof deepest sorrow,a lofty, illustrious treewould bring forth an offshootthat would shelter a great part of the worldwith its shade;and that the Danube’s haughty hand would gather much-desired fruits, worthy of honor, amid the harshest season;and finally, I well knewthe result that a barbarous war would bring you:that a mere child’s feetwould imprint the earth with footsteps of honor.

I know well that your hunger for gloryarouses thoughts of troubleand sadness in you.

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E che un piacer sinceropuò darvi di vittoriail caro, e dolce onor.

Track 34 RecitativoEstateCon tal favore e l’opraper farmi un dì beata nella stagion più adusta si fecondò la regal madre Augusta dell’Eroe che già nacque. La Gloria sospiratadunque a me non s’involi, e se ti piacquedi sì famoso, e tantopiacer donarmi il vantocosì permetti ò Giovech’altri mai non mi tolgaquel si deve a me per chiare prove,né fia ch’altri si dolgadei pregi miei poiché si ben comprende,non è ragion, che mia ragion contende.

Track 35 AriaTornò già nel mio senquel placido seren che mi lusinga.

E vò sperare al finche il fatto, ed il destin non scherzi o finga.

Track 36 RecitativoAutunnoQuante Provincie e Regni,quanti popoli afflittia lui devoti, sciolsero al Cielo,e ai dei preghiere e voti;e quasi in fragil Barcacui contenda il suo porto il vento e l’onda,lungi dalla sua spondaquante diverse genti tutte l’oreor la speme agitava or il timore;io solo fui che al finestrinse alla sorte il crineio feci sicurtà del legno eletto,e ne trasse diletto l’amordei suoi, che baldanzoso, e grandevoci d’almo piacer d’intorno spande;onde alcun non vi sia,che pretenda scemar la gloria mia.

And that the sweet honorof victory can bring yousincere pleasure.

SummerBy your favor and interventionthe royal motherof the newborn hero was quickened amid the most parched season, to make me blessedly happy one day. Now do not let my glory be stolen from me, and if once you pleasedto grant me the honor of such a celebrated pleasure,now, o Jove,let no one ever take from mewhat clear proof shows is my due,and let none complain of my honors; for it is easy to seethat no argument can dispute my rights.

The calm peace that soothes mehas returned now to my breast.

And I will hope at lastthat this is no jest or fraud of Fate and Destiny.

AutumnHow many provinces and kingdoms,how many suffering peoples,devoutly raised their prayers and vows to heaven and the gods.And as though in a fragile boatfar from shore,fighting the wind and waves to reach port,how many different peoples trembledeach moment with hope and then fear.It was I alonewho made Fate smile on us at last;I kept the chosen craft safe, to the delight of his parents’ love; bold and great, now that love spreads tidings of invigorating gladness round about;so let none try to detract from my glory.

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Track 37 AriaCorre l’onda vagabonda,fugge il lido, e sempre riedead accrescer l’acque al mar.

Tal già sento che il contentoa quel sen rivolge il piedeche pria vole abbandonar

Track 38 RecitativoInvernoAnch’io potea di tenebrosi orroricoprir l’eterei campi;potea con tuoni, e lampisquarciando all’ombre il sen, gravi e funestesuscitar le tempeste, e all’improvvisoorribile spaventoresa per me infelicela regal Genitricepianger potea dispersele speranze di Prole, e bel contento,che ritardaro a noi le stelle avverse.Dunque è mio tutto il merto,che se il Talamo Augustogià fecondo si rese,Imeneo che unì così richiese;e l’annunzio giocondos’altri ne died al mondoper compir sì famosi alti accidentiio sol potei frenar procelle, e venti.

Track 39 AriaDi cieco orrore e d’ombraportai la mente ingombraor tutto il suo splendor m’apre il diletto.

E mentre mi rischiarafugge la pena amarae pien di gioia il cor mi brilla in petto.

Track 40 RecitativoPrimaveraMessi del gioir miofuron i vostri contentinel concepir nel publicar sicurae nel render maturala gloriosa e sospirata Prole.Ma quando ai rai del sole

The wandering waves rush,fleeing the shore, and constantly returnto increase the waters of the sea.

Just so, I feel how happinessturns its steps back toward my heartthat it formerly sought to leave.

WinterI too could have filled the skywith dark horrors;slashing the bosom of darknesswith thunder and lightning,I could have summoned terrible storms;and at this sudden, horrible fear,the royal mother,made unhappy by me,might have bewailed her lost hopesof a child, and the great happinessthat the unfriendly stars withheld from us.So the merit is all mine;for if the royal bedhas now become fruitful,that was the work of the marriage god;and while others imparted the happy news to the world,it was I alone who could hold back the storm and wind,so that this high birth could come to pass.

My mind was filledwith blind horror and shadow,but now delight reveals all its splendor to me.

And as it sheds its light on me,bitter pain flees, and my heart,filled with joy, shines in my breast.

SpringThe happiness of the rest of youforetold my joy,when you conceived, made known as certain,and allowed to ripenthis yearned-for child.But when this glorious soul opened his eyes,

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aprì la gloriosa alma pupilla,che sì chiara sfavillafuron solo di me gl’eccelsi onoridi versar con dilettosu la cuna reale e lauri e fiori.

Track 41 AriaCanta dolce il rosignuolosol per me tra valli ombrose.

E per me s’adorna il crinedi ligustri, gigli e rose.

Track 42 RecitativoGioveTrassi dal nulla il tuttoquando la luce e l’ombra era divisacreando il Ciel, la terra, e gl’elementie le cose insensate e le vincenti;avvivai l’auree stellele sfere, il sol, la luna;e dall’oscura e brunanotte divisa il giornoe di chiaro splendor lo resi adorno.

Ma più stupenda, e strana allora ei ben comparve, di mia mente sovrana l’opra in cui v’indrizzai tutto me stesso,quando distinto apparvel’ordine delle cose a gl’occhi espresso.Dunque l’esempio bastia far la Primaverapiù d’ogni’altra stagion superba, e altera.

Track 43 AriaDell’alba e dell’aurora, che la sua cuna infiora è vanto e bel piacer se spunta il sole.

Né de suoi vaghi raiche non conobbe mai,la notte può goder ma non sen duole.

Track 44 RecitativoE voi che parte avestenell’opra in cui su gl’alti eterei chiostriimpiegossi di Giove ancor la destraite superbe pur de pregi vostri.

sparkling so brightly,to the sun’s rays,I alone had the supreme honorof delightedly draping the royal cradlewith laurel and flowers.

The nightingale sings sweetlyin shady vales, thanks to me alone.

And it is thanks to me that he adorns his hairwith privet, lilies and roses.

JoveI created all the world from nothing,when the light and dark were divided,making Heaven, Earth and the elementsand all things, witless or wise;I lit the golden stars,the heavenly spheres, the sun, the moon;and separated the dayfrom black, somber night,and adorned it with bright splendor.

But the deed of my sovereign mind, to which I gave all my attention, stood out all the more strange and amazing when the order of the worldwas made distinct and manifest to the eyes.Therefore let my example sufficeto make the Springmore proud and noble than any other season.

When the sun first appears, daybreak and dawn, who adorn his cradle, are the ones who receive the honor and delight.

Nor can the night rejoice in the sun’s pretty rays,which it has never seen;but it does not complain.

And you, who played a partin the deed at which Jove’s hand was even then at work in the high celestial halls,go with pride in your own merits.

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Fastosa fama in tantocorra le vie del Cielspiegando l’ale e l’inclito natalespieghi per l’orbe e lietatempri con tal piacer gl’andati affannie al rinnovar degl’annirinovi negl’altrui dolci contenti,di Primavera i gloriosi eventi.

Track 45 CoroPrimavera, Estate, Autunno, Inverno, GiovePieno è già d’almo dilettol’alma il seno il core il pettoné dolor più soffrirà.

Non mi sprona tema orrorenon m’affrena affanno o penamostro il labbro scopro il visoma sereno e pien di risone turbarlo il duol potrà.

Track 46 RecitativoPrimaveraGran Padre delle stelleIo la sentenza e’ l tuo decreto adoro.Ma per comun ristoropoiché darci volesti Eroe sì degno,conserva al Padre, e al Regnovita sì preziosa, e così cara.

InvernoSì, sì, de la Parca avaranon far che al crudo ferro egli soggiaccia,e che degli’Avi suoi siegua la traccia.

Track 47 AriaSull’orme de’ grand’Avideh fa che i passi stendacon fasto, e con pietà.E che da’ fieri, e graviaffanni lo difendade suoi la fedeltà.

Track 48 RecitativoEstateSì, sì, poiché a te piacquedel Fanciul che già nacquedarne alla Primavera il vanto, e’ l pregio:

Meanwhile let sumptuous famerace through the streets of Heaven,spreading her wings, and announcethe glorious birth throughout the world,and happily temper past sadness with this pleasure;and as each year is renewedlet it also renew in others’ sweet happinessthe glorious events of Spring.

Seasons, JoveMy soul, my bosom, my heart, my breastare filled with life-giving delight,and I will not suffer sadness ever again.

Fear and horror do not goad me,I am not reined back by distress or pain,I show my face,serene and filled with smiles,which cannot be troubled by sadness.

SpringGreat father of the stars,I worship your decree.But to comfort us all,as you chose to grant us such a worthy hero,preserve for his father and for the realmsuch a precious, dear life.

WinterYes, do not let his life’s thread succumbto the cruel blade of grudging Fate,and let him follow in his forefathers’ path.

In his great forefathers’ footstepslet him make his wayin splendor and in mercy.And let his subjects’ loyaltydefend him from harsh trouble.

SummerYes, as it was your pleasureto grant Spring honor and meritfor the newborn Boy,

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sol bramo, e sol ti chieggioche immortal tu lo rendache segue i passi suoi sempre la gloria,che tempo non l’offenda,e che dia leggi ancora alla Vittoria.

Track 49 DuettoEstate, AutunnoArda avvampi l’alme accendasempre dolce sempre carolo splendor degl’occhi suoi.

E immortal tra noi si rendae mai colga tempo avarosì bel fior di forti eroi.

Track 50 RecitativoAutunnoLa gloria de’ grand’Avifa che gl’apra il sentiero all’ardue imprese,e le sue vogli acceseabbia sol di virtùcosì di nume imitando il costumeil maggior vanto avrà de sommi deipremiando i giusti, e debellando i rei.

Track 51 AriaL’offra sempre in pace, e in guerrale sue chiome amica sorte

Né maggior vegga la terrané più saggio oppur più forte.

Track 52 RecitativoPrimaveraChiaro qual nacque al mondofa che per l’opre illustri e viva, e regnie che gl’alti disegni che romper non può mai cieca Fortunarendano con più fastooscuro il corno all’ottomana luna.Fa che il nemico Tracemorda i suoi ceppi, e che sicuro asilonon gli conceda mai l’Eufrate, e il Nilo.Fa che d’Asia, e di Lidia il popol feroinvano s’armi, e invanodel nato Eroe sovrano tenti turbarl’Augusto eccelso Impero.

I desire onlythat you make him immortal,that he may always walk in glory,that Time may not harm him,and that he may have Victory at his command.

Summer, AutumnMay the splendor of his eyes,always sweet, always dear,kindle, rouse and inspire our souls.

And let this fine flower of great heroesbecome immortal among usand never fall to the grasp of covetous Time.

AutumnLet his forefathers’ gloryopen his way to mighty deeds;let virtue aloneinspire his ambitions;and thus, modeling his deeds on divine custom,rewarding the just and defeating the wicked,he will earn greatest praise from the highest gods.

May Fate always show him a friendly facein peace and in war,

And may the earth never see a mangreater, or wiser, or stronger.

SpringLet this newborn boy live and reign bright for illustrious deeds,and let the grand destiny appointed for him,which blind Fortune itself cannot overthrow,eclipse with greater grandeurthe horn of the Ottoman moon.May the enemy Turksgnash at their fetters, and may neither Nilenor Euphrates ever give them shelter.May the fierce people of Asia and Lydiatake arms in vain, and vainly seekto disrupt the reignof the newborn sovereign hero.

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Fa che depresso, e vintosotto il peso fatal di sue catenedi sangue, e di sudor bagni l’arene,e che in mirarlo estintopiù lieto al fine il Pellegrin devotocompisca i suoi viaggi, e sciolga il voto.

Track 53 AriaIl destin la sorte, e il fatoprenda leggi dal suo coree le detti la pietà.

E sia sempre in pace amato,e pugnando paventatoper giustizia, e per valorper amor e maestà.

Track 54 RecitativoEstateGiove, e tu non rispondi?Deh ver noi volgi il visoe con dolce sorrisorendi, con più sereni ardenti lampi,chiari dell’etra i spasiosi campi.Fa che le mie campagnesian di Cerere amica il dolce nido,e che turbine infidola vaga loro amenità non furi,e dopo nembi oscurideh permetti che al fine,mentre la bionda messe il sole indora,scherzino fra di noi Pomona, e Flora.

Track 55 AriaFa che Zeffiro tra frondecheto e lento sussurrandolieto goda al gioir mio.

E col suon delle bell’ondeche lo sieguan mormorandofra erbette il fonte, e ‘l rio.

Track 56 RecitativoAutunnoDeh quell’Amor che inspirasegrete intelligenze a fido cuorequello sol ti possieda, e quel ti dettisensi per noi di pace, e di diletti.

Overthrown and defeated,under the fateful weight of their chains,let them bathe the ground with their blood and sweat,and seeing them powerless,may the devout pilgrim complete his journey at lastmore happily, and fulfill his vow.

May destiny, fate and chancebe ruled by his heart,and may mercy guide him.

And may he always be loved in peaceand feared in warfor his justice and valor,his love and majesty.

SummerBut Jove, you do not answer?Turn your face to us and with a sweet smile,with calmer beams of lightmake the vast fields of the ether bright.Let kind Ceresmake my fields her sweet nest;let no untrustworthy whirlwindcarry off their lovely ease;and after dark cloudburstsat last permitPomona and Flora to play among uswhile the sun turns the blond harvest to gold.

Let Zephyr,whispering calmly and gently through the leaves,delight in my happiness.

And with the sound of lovely waveslet the fountain and brookfollow him murmuring among the grass.

AutumnBe filled with Love alone, which impartssecret knowledge to faithful hearts,and let love alone inspire youwith feelings of peace and delight for us.

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PrimaveraGira ver noi serenigl’occhi d’almo splendore adorni, e pieni,e di labbri devoti pietoso accogli,e le preghiere, e i voti.

InvernoAlle tue voci omais’empian l’alme di gioia e di piacere,e v’applaudino i Cieli, e l’auree sfere.

Track 57 CoroPrimavera, Estate, Autunno, InvernoConti co’ i giornile sue vittorie,e pien di glorielo vegga il sol.Viva e s’adornid’allori, e palme,né le sue calmemai turbi il duol.

Track 58 RecitativoGioveScelsi sull’alte sfereil più vago il più puro, e nobil spirto,e da sua stella il trassiper darlo al mondo; altereei l’orme imprimerà dovunque passiné mai di rose o mirto,fia che cinga le chiomeelette sol d’allori al sacro incarcovoi di trionfi carcomostrasi lo vedretedegno figlio di Giovené le sue piume in letebagnar potrà sua chiara fama e grandee mentre tal si spandeche invidia rechi agl’Avi suoi famosiriguarderan gelosigl’astri la sua virtute, e Parca industretorcer voi scorgeretelungo lo stame alla sua vita illustre.

SpringTurn to us your serene eyesadorned and filled with noble splendor,and mercifully accept the prayers and vowsof devoted lips.

WinterAt your command,let souls be filled with joy and pleasure,as the heavens and golden spheres show their approval.

SeasonsMay his victories be as many as his days,and may the sun behold himfilled with glory.Long may he live, and be deckedwith laurels and palm leaves,may pain never troublehis calm.

JoveI have chosen from among the high spheresthe most beautiful, pure, and noble spiritand have brought him from his starto give him to the world;he will lay down noble footsteps wherever he walks,his head shall never be destinedfor a crown of roses or myrtle,but bear only the laurel’s sacred burden.You will behold himladen with triumphs,a worthy son of Jove,and his fame, bright and fine, will never wet its plumes in Lethe’s waters;and as his fame grows so greatthat his famous Ancestors envy him,the stars will jealously look on his virtue,and you will see how industrious Fate spins out at great lengththe fine thread of his illustrious life.

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ALESSANDRO SCARLATTI (1660 – 1725)

Track 59 CoroPrimavera, Estate, Autunno, Inverno, GioveÒ bell’età dell’oroa noi ritorni al fin,se per comun ristoronacque regal Bambin.

Non v’è più invidia o ingannotimore o fiero affannonon sfidan trombe allarmima son di gioia i carmi,e pur dal cavo specopace risponde l’ecopace ne da il destin.

Per le fiorite spondedi latte corron l’ondeil Ciel non è più fosco,e stilla miele il boscoe sol di fronde e fiorida ninfe e da pastori,si fan ghirlande al crin.

Il Fine

Seasons, JoveO splendid golden age,you return to us at last,for to comfort us alla royal Child is born.

There is no more envy or deceit,no fear or cruel distress,no trumpets sound alarms,but our songs are of joy.And even from the deep cave,the echo answers: Peace,destiny grants us peace.

Past flowery banksthe rivers run with milk;the sky is no longer dark,and the woods drip with honey;and nymphs and shepherdsgarland their hair with leaves and flowers only.

The End

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philharmonia baroque orchestra

San Francisco’s Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra has been dedicated to authentic performances of Baroque, Classical and early-Romantic music on original instruments since its inception in 1981. Under the leadership of Music Director Nicholas McGegan, Philharmonia was named Ensemble of the Year by Musical America in 2004.

The Orchestra performs an annual subscription season in the San Francisco Bay Area and is regularly heard on tour in the United States and around the world. The Orchestra has its own professional chorus, the Philharmonia Chorale, under the leadership of Bruce Lamott. It welcomes eminent guest artists including mezzo-soprano Susan Graham, countertenor David Daniels, fortepianist Emanuel Ax, violinist Rachel Podger, and guest conductors such as Jordi Savall, Masaaki Suzuki, and Trevor Pinnock.

Philharmonia's U.S. tour appearances include Lincoln Center's Mosely Mozart Festival, the Tanglewood Festival, the Ravinia Festival, the Great Performers series at Lincoln Center, the International Chamber Orchestra Festival in Minnesota, Carnegie Hall in New York, the Festival del Sole in California's Napa Valley, and Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles. Internationally, the Orchestra has performed at the BBC Proms in London, Snape Maltings, and the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. Philharmonia appeared as the featured orchestra at the International Handel Festival in Göttingen, Germany, in 1999, 2001, 2002 and 2005.

The Orchestra has had numerous successful collaborations with celebrated composers and choreographers. In November 2006, to mark its 25th season and the 20th anniversary of Nicholas McGegan’s tenure as music director, Philharmonia premiered its first commissioned work, a one-act opera by Jake Heggie with a libretto by Gene Scheer entitled To Hell and Back.

In collaboration with the Mark Morris Dance Group, Philharmonia gave the U.S. premieres of the highly acclaimed productions of G.F. Handel’s Acis and Galatea, Henry Purcell's King Arthur, and Jean-Philippe Rameau's ballet-opera Platée. Philharmonia has also collaborated with many Bay Area performing arts groups, such as Alonzo King's LINES Ballet, San Francisco Opera Center, San Francisco Girls Chorus, and Chanticleer.

In 2011, Philharmonia launched its own recording label, Philharmonia Baroque Productions. Its first release was an archival performance of mezzo-soprano Lorraine Hunt Lieberson singing Berlioz's Les Nuits d'ete and Handel arias. Subsequently, its recording of Haydn's Symphonies No. 104 "London", No. 88, and No. 101 "The Clock" was nominated for a GRAMMY® Award for Best Orchestral Performance. Recent releases include highlights from Handel's Teseo and three Haydn symphonies, Nos. 57, 67, and 68.

Prior to the launch of Philharmonia Baroque Productions, the Orchestra made 32 highly praised recordings for harmonia mundi, Reference Recordings, and BMG. Its recording of the Handel oratorio Susanna received a GRAMMY® nomination and a 1991 Gramophone Magazine Award for the best Baroque vocal recording.

Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra was founded by harpsichordist and Early Music pioneer Laurette Goldberg.

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philharmonia baroque orchestra

San Francisco’s Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra has been dedicated to authentic performances of Baroque, Classical and early-Romantic music on original instruments since its inception in 1981. Under the leadership of Music Director Nicholas McGegan, Philharmonia was named Ensemble of the Year by Musical America in 2004.

The Orchestra performs an annual subscription season in the San Francisco Bay Area and is regularly heard on tour in the United States and around the world. The Orchestra has its own professional chorus, the Philharmonia Chorale, under the leadership of Bruce Lamott. It welcomes eminent guest artists including mezzo-soprano Susan Graham, countertenor David Daniels, fortepianist Emanuel Ax, violinist Rachel Podger, and guest conductors such as Jordi Savall, Masaaki Suzuki, and Trevor Pinnock.

Philharmonia's U.S. tour appearances include Lincoln Center's Mosely Mozart Festival, the Tanglewood Festival, the Ravinia Festival, the Great Performers series at Lincoln Center, the International Chamber Orchestra Festival in Minnesota, Carnegie Hall in New York, the Festival del Sole in California's Napa Valley, and Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles. Internationally, the Orchestra has performed at the BBC Proms in London, Snape Maltings, and the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. Philharmonia appeared as the featured orchestra at the International Handel Festival in Göttingen, Germany, in 1999, 2001, 2002 and 2005.

The Orchestra has had numerous successful collaborations with celebrated composers and choreographers. In November 2006, to mark its 25th season and the 20th anniversary of Nicholas McGegan’s tenure as music director, Philharmonia premiered its first commissioned work, a one-act opera by Jake Heggie with a libretto by Gene Scheer entitled To Hell and Back.

In collaboration with the Mark Morris Dance Group, Philharmonia gave the U.S. premieres of the highly acclaimed productions of G.F. Handel’s Acis and Galatea, Henry Purcell's King Arthur, and Jean-Philippe Rameau's ballet-opera Platée. Philharmonia has also collaborated with many Bay Area performing arts groups, such as Alonzo King's LINES Ballet, San Francisco Opera Center, San Francisco Girls Chorus, and Chanticleer.

In 2011, Philharmonia launched its own recording label, Philharmonia Baroque Productions. Its first release was an archival performance of mezzo-soprano Lorraine Hunt Lieberson singing Berlioz's Les Nuits d'ete and Handel arias. Subsequently, its recording of Haydn's Symphonies No. 104 "London", No. 88, and No. 101 "The Clock" was nominated for a GRAMMY® Award for Best Orchestral Performance. Recent releases include highlights from Handel's Teseo and three Haydn symphonies, Nos. 57, 67, and 68.

Prior to the launch of Philharmonia Baroque Productions, the Orchestra made 32 highly praised recordings for harmonia mundi, Reference Recordings, and BMG. Its recording of the Handel oratorio Susanna received a GRAMMY® nomination and a 1991 Gramophone Magazine Award for the best Baroque vocal recording.

Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra was founded by harpsichordist and Early Music pioneer Laurette Goldberg.

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photo © suzanne karp

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nicholas mcgegan Waverley Fund Music Director | Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra

Nicholas McGegan has been music director of California-based Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra and Chorale since 1985. He was Artistic Director of the Göttingen International Handel Festival for 20 years as well as Principal Guest Conductor of Scottish Opera and of the Swedish Court Theatre at Drottningholm. His catalogue of recordings now numbers over a hundred, including Handel operas and oratorios and major works by the Baroque, Classical, and early Romantic masters. The works of Handel dominate his discography with over 50 CDs, including Susanna, which was nominated for a GRAMMY® Award and also won a Gramophone Award, as did Ariodante. His Alessandro Scarlatti recordings include four volumes of Cantatas, as well as The Cecilian Vespers with Susanne Rydén, Dominique Labelle and Michael Slattery and the oratorio, La Giuditta, featuring Drew Minter and Katalin Gémes. Haydn is also well-represented, including a CD of the complete Violin Concertos with Capella Savaria, and with Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, the GRAMMY®-nominated CD of Haydn Symphonies 88, 101 and 104, and the follow-up recording of Symphonies 57, 67, and 68. A frequent collaborator in concert and on disc was mezzo-soprano Lorraine Hunt Lieberson, who appears on several recordings of Handel, Bach and Berlioz. The rest of McGegan’s extensive catalogue carries both familiar and not so well known works from both J.S. and C.P.E. Bach, Beethoven, Brahms, Corelli, Kraus, Monteverdi, Mozart, Purcell, Rameau, Uccellini, Vivaldi, and others, on harmonia mundi USA, Virgin, Decca, RCA, Hungaroton, and other major labels.

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photo © rj muna

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about philharmonia chorale Critically acclaimed for its brilliant sound, robust energy and sensitive delivery of the text, the Philharmonia Chorale was formed in 1995 to provide a vocal complement whose fluency in the stylistic language of the Baroque period matched that of Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra. The 24 members of the Chorale are professional singers with distinguished solo and ensemble experience. Chorale members appear regularly with organizations such as the San Francisco Symphony, Carmel Bach Festival, and American Bach Soloists, and are guest soloists with most of the area’s symphonic and choral organizations. They appear in roles with regional opera companies and have been members and founders of some of the country’s premiere vocal ensembles, including Chanticleer, the Dale Warland Singers, and Theatre of Voices.

Founded by John Butt, a Baroque keyboardist and one of the world’s leading Bach scholars, the Chorale has been led by conductor and musicologist Bruce Lamott since 1997. In its first decade, the Chorale’s repertoire included nine Handel oratorios, Bach’s St. John Passion and Christmas Oratorio, Mozart’s C Minor Mass, and – in collaboration with other choral ensembles – Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9. The Chorale made its New York debut at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in 1997, and has appeared with Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra at Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, at New York City’s Lincoln Center, and at the new Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall in Orange County. The Chorale appears on the Orchestra’s recordings of Arne’s Alfred, Scarlatti’s Cecilian Vespers, and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9.

Philharmonia Chorale is directed by Bruce Lamott.

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photo © frank wing

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bruce lamott Bruce Lamott has been director of the Philharmonia Chorale since 1997 and is Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra's Scholar-in-Residence. He first performed with the Orchestra in 1989 as continuo harpsichordist for Handel’s Giustino.

Lamott was previously the director of choruses and conductor of the Mission Candlelight Concerts at the Carmel Bach Festival, where his 30-year tenure also included performing as a harpsichordist and presenting as a lecturer and education director. In eight seasons as choral director and assistant conductor of the Sacramento Symphony, he conducted annual choral concerts of major symphonic choral works, including both Bach Passion settings, Haydn’s The Seasons, and Stravinsky's Symphony of Psalms, as well as preparing the symphony chorus for their subscription season.

Lamott received a bachelor’s degree from Lewis and Clark College, and an M.A. and Ph.D. in musicology from Stanford, where he researched keyboard improvisation practices of the Baroque period. His teaching career began on the musicology faculty at UC Davis, where he also directed the Early Music Ensemble. He lives in San Francisco with his husband, Kip Cranna, dramaturg of the San Francisco Opera, and teaches music history and conducts the choirs and chamber orchestra at San Francisco University High School. As a part-time professor of music history at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music since 2001, he specializes in the vocal and instrumental repertoire of the 18th century. In his opera-related activities, Lamott teaches continuo realization for San Francisco Opera's Merola Opera Program and lectures for the Opera's education program and Opera Guild.

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diana moore English mezzo-soprano Diana Moore is being lauded on both sides of the Atlantic for her “emotional depth” (The Guardian), “thrilling” technical bravura (Gramophone), and “rich, evocative sound” (San Francisco Chronicle). She enjoys a varied international career of opera, oratorio, and concert performances, and is a popular recitalist.

Recent and upcoming engagements include Elgar’s The Dream of Gerontius at Royal Albert Hall; Scarlatti’s La Gloria di Primavera with Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra; the title role in Rinaldo at the National Theatre in Prague; and Mendelssohn’s Elijah at Barbican Centre.

Because of her graceful stature she is in demand for many trouser roles, including the title character in Rinaldo (Göttingen International Handel Festival, Flanders Opera, VlaamseOper, the National Theatre in Prague, and Opera de Versailles); “Sesto” in Giulio Cesare (Göttingen); “Armindo” in Partenope with the Early Opera Company; and “Medoro” in Handel’s Orlando, a role she had toured with the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra and Nicholas McGegan to the Ravinia Festival, Lincoln Center, and the Tanglewood Festival. Other operatic roles include “Penelope” in Monteverdi’s Il Ritorno d’Ulisse for the Aldeburgh Festival and “Dido” in Dido and Aeneas for The Early Opera Company.

Ms. Moore’s vocal quality and training place her firmly within the fine tradition of English mezzo-sopranos. She is known as a leading exponent of English song. For the centennial of Kathleen Ferrier’s birth, she devised the critically acclaimed A Celebration of Kathleen Ferrier— Her Life, Letters & Music, which has been endorsed by the Kathleen Ferrier Society and presented at several major venues.

Visit Diana Moore at www.dianamoore.co.uk | schwalbeandpartners.com/diana-moore-mezzo-soprano

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photo © peter everard smith

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photo © jean-luc benazet

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suzana ograjenšek Slovene soprano Suzana Ograjenšek is being praised for her ‘silvery’ and ‘vibrant’ sound (SF Mercury News), for the ‘fantasy’ (Delo) and ‘manifold facets’(Göttinger Tageblatt) of her delivery, and for her captivating stage presence (‘lucid, sunny, and slightly feisty’–SF Classical Voice; ‘angel incarnate’–L'Alsace). She has worked extensively in Baroque repertoire and has collaborated with William Christie, Christopher Hogwood, Nicholas McGegan, and Ivor Bolton. Notable operatic appearances include Purcell’s The Fairy Queen at the Aix en Provence Festival (Christie), Monteverdi’s Poppea at Teatro Real Madrid (Christie), Monteverdi’s Orfeo at Theater an der Wien (Bolton), and Handel’s Jephtha at Opéra national du Rhin in Strasbourg (Bolton). In 2016 she is making her Carnegie Hall debut in Scarlatti’s La Gloria di Primavera with the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra. Concert engagements have also featured work with the Freiburger Barockorchester as well as appearances with the RTV Slovenia Symphony Orchestra in works of Handel and Mozart. She is the founder of the Baroque Ensemble La Falsirena, devoted to the vocal music of high Baroque. Chamber repertoire also features collaboration with the Fitzwilliam String Quartet, with whom she has performed both classical and contemporary repertoire. She has toured with the ensemble Odissea under the direction of Benjamin Bayl with a programme of Handel’s Roman cantatas, including the London Handel Festival and the Händel Festspiele in Göttingen. Her discography includes a DVD of the Madrid Poppea on Virgin Classics, J.K.Dolar’s Miserere with the RTV Slovenia Symphony Orchestra, and Haydn’s songs with the Fitzwilliam String Quartet. She is a winner of the Williamson Prize for Musical Performance. She is also the editor of Il pastor fido HWW 8a for the Hallische Händel Ausgabe, a contributor to the Cambridge Handel Encyclopedia, and has co edited Ancient Drama in Music for the Modern Stage for Oxford University Press. www.suzanaograjensek.com

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clint van der linde Born in South Africa, Clint van der Linde started singing at the Drakensberg Boys Choir School at age 10. In 1996 he was offered an International Scholarship to spend a year at Eton College during which he was offered the “Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother Scholarship” for a four year B-Mus degree at the RCM, London. During his studies Clint had master classes with Anthony Rolf-Johnson, Roger Vignoles, Sarah Walker, Michael Chance, and James Bowman.

Clint has performed in concert halls throughout Europe, the US, Australia, and Japan, in venues such as Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Tanglewood Music Festival’s Ozawa Hall, Royal Albert Hall, Suntory Hall (Japan) and Het Concertgebouw (Amsterdam) as well as in festivals such as the BBC Proms, Edinburgh Festival, the Bach Festpieler in Leipzig, the Handel Festspieler in Halle, Mannheim Mozart Somerfestspieler, and the Mostly Mozart Festival in New York; and in staged performances in theatres across the UK, La Monnaie (Brussels), the Royal Opera House (Copenhagen), Schwetzingen, and Bielefeld Opera.

Clint has shared the stage with world-renowned groups and orchestras such as the Academy of Ancient Music, The Goettingen Festspieler Orchestra, the Zurich Chamber Orchestra, Il Fondamento, the Hanover Band, the Israel Camerata, the King’s Consort, Le Musiche Nove, the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the Salzburg Camerata, Stuttgart Baroque Orchestra, Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, and Bach Collegium Japan. Conductors include George Petrou, Masaaki Suzuki, Stephen Layton, Sir Roger Norrington, Frieder Bernius, Nicholas Kraemer, Stephen Cleobury, Peter Schreier, Wolfgang Katchner, Gerhard Korsten, Kazushi Ono, Jan Willem de Vriend, Lawrence Cummings, Paul Dombrecht, and Nicholas McGegan.

His operatic roles include Oberon in A Midsummer Night’s Dream; Farnace in Mozart's Mitridate; and title roles in Handel’s Flavio, Ottone, Lotario, Tolomeo, Rinaldo, and Cavalli's Jasone. Other Handel roles include Andronico (Tamerlano), Judas (Brockes Passion), Arsemenes (Xerxes), Dardanus (Amadigi), and Narciso and Ottone (Agrippina). Other roles include Fernando in Conti's Don Chischotte in Sierra Morena and the Guardian of the Threshold in R Strauss' Die Frau Ohne Schatten.

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photo © henry dombey

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nicholas phan American tenor Nicholas Phan has appeared with many of the leading orchestras in North America and Europe, including the New York Philharmonic, Boston Symphony, Chicago Symphony, San Francisco Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Cleveland Orchestra, Philadelphia Orchestra, Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, BBC Symphony, and the English Chamber Orchestra. He toured extensively throughout the major concert halls of Europe with Il Complesso Barocco and appeared with the Edinburgh, Ravinia, Rheingau, Tanglewood and Marlboro music festivals, and at the BBC Proms. In opera, he has appeared with the LA Opera, Houston Grand Opera, Seattle Opera, Glyndebourne Opera, Frankfurt Opera, and the Maggio Musicale in Florence. In recital, he has been presented by Carnegie Hall, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, Boston’s Celebrity Series, Atlanta’s Spivey Hall, and the Library of Congress in Washington, DC. He is also a founder and the Artistic Director of Collaborative Arts Institute of Chicago, an organization devoted to promoting the art song and vocal chamber music repertoire.

Mr. Phan’s most recent solo album, A Painted Tale, was released on Avie Records in February of 2015. His previous solo album, Still Falls the Rain (Avie), was named one of the best classical recordings of 2012 by The New York Times. His growing discography also includes the Grammy-nominated recording of Stravinsky’s Pulcinella with Pierre Boulez and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO Resound), his debut solo album, Winter Words (Avie), the opera L’Olimpiade with the Venice Baroque Orchestra (Naïve), and the world premiere recording of Elliott Carter’s orchestral song cycle, A Sunbeam’s Architecture (NMC).

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douglas williams “The gifted young bass-baritone Douglas Williams” (The New York Times) combines a “formidable stage presence” (Seattle Times) with “a bass voice of splendid solidity” (Music Web International), making him one of the most appealing singing actors of his generation. He has collaborated with leading conductors including Nicholas McGegan, Helmut Rilling, Sir Neville Marriner, John Nelson, and Christoph Rousset, in such prestigious venues as Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center, Stuttgart’s Mozart-Saal, and the Frankfurt Alte Oper.

Douglas was highly acclaimed as “Polyphemus” in the world premiere Mark Morris Dance Group production of Handel’s Acis and Galatea, and he performs the role this fall with Boston Early Music Festival. A recording with the group will be released in 2015. Other recent appearances include “Laurence” in Grétry’s Le Magnifique with Opera Lafayette (recorded for Naxos) and “Aeneas” in Dido and Aeneas with the Boston Early Music Festival. His recording of Charpentier’s La Descente d’Orphée aux Enfers with BEMF won the 2015 Grammy Award for Best Opera Recording.

Mr. Williams’ “superb sense of drama” (The New York Times) is as apparent on the concert stage as it is in opera. Concert highlights include a performance at Carnegie Hall with James Levine and the MET Chamber Ensemble of Charles Wuorinen’s It Happens Like This; Handel’s Messiah with the Detroit and Houston Symphony Orchestras; Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis with the Cathedral Choral Society; Elgar’s Dream of Gerontius with New Haven Symphony, and Bach’s St. John Passion with Les Talens Lyriques.

His 2015-2016 season features performances and a new recording of Scarlatti’s La Gloria di primavera with conductor Nicholas McGegan and the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra and a reprisal of his role of “Caronte” in Monteverdi’s Orfeo with the dance company Sasha Waltz & Guests in Berlin, Bergen, and Baden-Baden and Opera Lille in France.

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photo © katherine griswold

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PHILHARMONIA CHORALEHeidi Waterman, sopranoJennifer Ashworth, sopranoKatherine McKee, altoDavid Kurtenbach, tenorJohn Bischoff, bass

VIOLINLisa Weiss concertmaster Anonymous, London; after Testore Egon & Joan von Kaschnitz Concertmaster Chair

Elizabeth Blumenstock Andrea Guarneri, Cremona, 1660; on loan from Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra Period Instrument Trust Susan B. Levy Chair

Jolianne von Einem Rowland Ross, Guildford, England, 1979; after Antonio Stradivari, Cremona

Lisa Grodin Paulo Antonio Testore, Contrada, Larga di Milano, Italy, 1736

Katherine Kyme † Carlo Antonio Testore, Milan, Italy, 1720

Tyler Lewis Timothy Johnson, Hewitt, Texas, 2009; after A. Stradivari

Carla Moore Johann Georg Thir, Vienna, Austria, 1754

Maxine Nemerovski Timothy Johnson, Bloomington, Indiana, 1999; after A. Stradivari

Sandra Schwarz Rowland Ross, Portsmouth, England, 1987; after A. Stradivari

Noah Strick Celia Bridges, Cologne, Germany, 1988

Gabrielle Wunsch Lorenzo Carcassi, Florence, Italy; 1765

Alicia Yang Richard Duke, London, 1762

VIOLADavid Daniel Bowes * Richard Duke, London, c. 1780

Maria Ionia Caswell William Old, Falmouth, England, 1895

Ellie Nishi Anonymous, Germany, 18th Century

Aaron Westman Dmitry Badiarov, Brussels, Belgium, 2003

VIOLONCELLOWilliam Skeen * Anonymous, Holland, c. 1680

Phoebe Carrai Anonymous, Italy, c. 1690 Zheng Cao Memorial Chair

PHILHARMONIA BAROQUE ORCHESTRAThe Players and Their Instruments

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Paul Hale Joseph Grubaugh & Sigrun Seifert, Petaluma, 1988; after A. Stradivari Osher Cello Chair Endowment

Robert Howard Anonymous, Venice, 1750

DOUBLE BASSKristin Zoernig * Joseph Wrent, Rotterdam, Holland, 1648

Timothy Spears Anonymous, Germany

FLUTEStephen Schultz * Martin Wenner, Singen, Germany, 2010; after C. Palanca, c. 1760

OBOEMarc Schachman * H. A. Vas Dias, Decatur, Georgia, 2001; after T. Stanesby, England, c. 1710 Principal Oboe Chair In Memory of Clare Frieman Kivelson and Irene Valente Angstadt

Gonzalo Ruiz Joel Robinson, New York, 1990; after Saxon models, c. 1720

Michael DuPree H. A. Vas Dias, Decatur, Georgia, 1995; after T. Stanesby, England, c. 1700

Stephen Bard Joel Robinson, New York, 2003; after Saxon models, c. 1720

BASSOONAndrew Schwartz * Guntram Wolf, Kronach, Germany, 2008

Kate van Orden Peter de Koningh, Hall, Holland, 1985; after H. Grenser

TRUMPETJohn Thiessen * Rainer Egger, Basel, Switzerland, 2003; after Ehe, 1746

Fred Holmgren Fred Holmgren, Massachusetts, 2005; after J. L. Ehe III, 1746

LUTEDavid Tayler * Andreas von Holst, Munich, Germany, 2004; after Magno Tieffenbrucker, Venice, Italy, 1610

Daniel Zuluaga Lars Jönsson, Dalarö, Sweden, 2003

HARPSICHORDHanneke van Proosdij * John Phillips, Berkeley, 1993; Italian harpsichord after 18th century Florentine prototypes; generously lent by John Phillips

Nicholas McGegan John Phillips, Berkeley, 1996; after Giusti, Italy, 17th century; generously lent by Nicholas McGegan

* Principal

† Principal 2nd Violin

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ALSO AVAILABLE FROM PHILHARMONIA BAROQUE PRODUCTIONS

PBP-03 8-5218800304-1

PBP-07 8-5218800309-6PBP-08 8-5218800310-2

PBP-04 8-5218800306-5

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PBP-01 8-5218800301-0PBP-02 8-5218800302-7

PBP-05 8-5218800307-2PBP-06 8-5218800308-9

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ALESSANDRO SCARLATTI (1660 – 1725)

La Gloria di Primavera

PRIMAVERA diana moore, mezzo-sopranoESTATE suzana ograjenšek, sopranoAUTUNNO clint van der linde, countertenorINVERNO nicholas phan, tenorGIOVE douglas williams, bass-baritone

Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra & ChoraleNicholas McGegan, music director

Recorded live at First Congregational Church, Berkeley, CA | October 4-6 & 10, 2015© and 2016 Philharmonia Baroque Productions

Recorded in 5-channel surround sound at 24-bit/192 kHz resolutionPresented in 24-bit/192 kHz 5.1 Surround - DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 LPCM Stereo

To listen to the music without a video monitor, simply insert the disc into your player, wait for the disc to start up and press PLAY on your remote control. You can select your preferred audio format at any time using the colored buttons on your remote as listed above.

This recording is made possible by a generous gift from the Waverley Fund.

www.philharmonia.org

PBP-09BD8-5218800311-9

Total Playing Time: 138:36