Cara Sposa

Knights disembark on their way to the Crusades.

‘Cara Sposa’

Handel (1685-1759)

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Friday, 2^nd October 2020

AIR FM, Goa, Siesta Time, 2.30 p.m. -3 p.m.

https://onlineradiofm.in/goa/panaji/fm-rainbow

Cara Sposa is a baroque aria from Act I of Handel’s opera Rinaldo (1711). It was the first Italian opera composed for the London stage. The libretto is by Giacomo Rossi. It was written for the castrato Nicolini. In this aria Rinaldo – a crusader knight of the first crusade in the 11^th century – laments the loss of his beloved Almirena who has been kidnapped by the sorceress queen Armida. The aria is suffused with loss and longing – seen in the rich chromaticism. It is around 8 minutes.  

Rinaldo is based on Gerusalemme Liberata / Jerusalem Freed (1581) by the Italian Renaissance poet Torquato Tasso (1554-1595). The epic poem describes the battle between Christian knights and the Muslims during the siege of Jerusalem. The first crusade (1096-1099) was fought with the intention of recovering the Holy Land from Islamic rule.

Libretto opening

Cara sposa, amante cara

[Beloved spouse, dearest heart]

Dove sei (2)

[Where art thou?]

Deh! Ritorna a pianti miei.

[Woe! Return to him who weeps.]

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Pic courtesy: discogs(dot)com. Updated 2 October 2020.

Compiled by RJ Dr. Brian Mendonca.