AMINTA E FILLIDE

At the age of 21, George Frideric Handel had the musical capitals of Italy at his feet. He conquered Rome with psalms, cantatas, and oratorios, enchanted Naples with a serenade, and won the hearts of Florence and Venice with his operas. He gained this popularity in a musical society where he played so well that the superstitious Romans believed him to be the embodiment of the devil. While people in Germany and France were still mocking the Italians, Handel enjoyed his rise to the highest circles. Soon after, he moved in and out of the homes of the most important patrons, composed sacred music for the great Roman churches, and received commissions from various monasteries. Amidst this bustling and enriching environment, and while paving his way to opera composition, he composed his cantata »Aminta e Fillide« in 1708. Not only did the pastoral cantata, which draws on characters from Rome’s popular Baroque pastoral plays, provide material for several masterpieces many years later, but the diversity of the around 40 arias is also remarkable. The amorous advances of the shepherd Aminta, initially rejected by the nymph Fillide, are depicted in a sober style. But Cupid knows how to strike his arrow, and Aminta’s steadfastness and loyalty eventually soften Fillide’s heart.

The performance on Saturday 27. June is part of Festival-Subscription III.