Handel: Il volo così fido (Riccardo Primo), Amanda Forsythe, soprano; Hanneke van Proosdij, recorder

A marvelous duet for voice and sopranino recorder from Handel's opera Riccardo Primo. 8K video from our award-winning program at the Berkeley Early Music Festival and Exhibition 2024, Amanda Forsythe, soprano with Hanneke van Proosdij, recorder.
Handel had finished the score of Riccardo Primo by May of 1727. Unusually, the subject material for the opera was drawn from English history. Handel carefully balanced the material for his two competing stars, Francesca Cuzzoni (Costanza) and Faustina Bordoni (Pulcheria). At the close of the opera, Costanza has been set free and sings Il volo così fido in a joyful, birdsong style accompanied by the sopranino recorder. Arias in this style are often showcased with the baroque flute, but Handel may have given a nod to the sopranino recorder (known in England as the “bird flute”) in keeping with the English theme of the opera.
Il volo così fido
Al dolce amato nido
Quell’augellin non ha.
Come al tuo nobil core
Quest’alma, tutt’amore.
Sempre fedel sarà.

A more true flight
To his sweet and dear nest
No bird could ever have.
Just as to your noble heart
This soul, pure love
Will always remain true.

Voices of Music
Hanneke van Proosdij & David Tayler, directors
Musicians
Sopranino recorder: Hanneke van Proosdij
Baroque violins: Augusta McKay Lodge (concertmaster)
Aniela Eddy, Isabelle Seula Lee, Kati Kyme,
Linda Quan & Maxine Nemerovski
Baroque violas: Maria Caswell & Lisa Grodin
Baroque cellos: Elisabeth Reed & WIlliam Skeen
Violone: Farley Pearce
Harpsichord: Katherine Heater
Archlute: David Tayler
Special thanks to the San Francisco Early Music Society
for making this dream gig possible:
www.sfems.org
Audio engineer and ambisonics design: Boby Borisov
Video: Lloyd Hryciw & Rob Clevenger
8K technology: David Tayler
Post production: David Tayler & Andrew Levy
Produced by David Tayler & Hanneke van Proosdij
Audio mastering, video cutting and final 8K color and render: David Tayler
#handel
Copyright 2024 Voices of Music