Stille amare (Handel) Ann Hallenberg

Stille amare from Tolomeo (HWV 25), 1728 George Frideric Handel (1685-1759) Ann Hallenberg as Tolomeo Il Complesso Barocco under Alan Curtis Tolomeo was first performed at the King’s Theatre in London on April 30, 1728, and the title role was sung by the famous Italian contralto castrato Francesco Bernardi (1686-1758), better known by his stage name “Senesino.” “Stille amare” is an aria whose da capo is never completed because Tolomeo is overcome by a sleeping potion, which, at that stage in the opera, is believed to have been poison. Stille amare, già vi sento tutte in seno, la morte a chiamar;   Già vi sento smorzare il tormento, già vi sento tornarmi a bear.   Bitter drops, already I feel you all in my breast, calling for death;   Already I feel you dull my torment, already I feel you restore my happiness. [Translation : Kenneth Chalmers] CD available from ARCHIV: