Caldara: Soffri, mio caro Alcino - Lesne

'Soffri, mio caro Alcino'
Cantata for alto and basso continuo
Text: probably Paolo Rolli (1687-1765)
Music: Antonio Caldara (c.1671-1736)
Composition: the manuscript score is dated 14 October 1715
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Gérard Lesne, countertenor
Il Seminario musicale
Recording: June 1990
Pitch: A = 415 Hz
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At last! I've been after this score for 7 years! I received it from a YT friend 2 years ago but since then I had no opportunity to make this video. I posted a video years ago ( • Antonio Caldara "Soffr... ) with only the cover of the album since I didn't have the score nor the text. My search for a bit of info on this piece led me to meet my dear Marc (MehdiCapsII), who tried to help me find or at least transcribe the text from the audio. But he was not the only one who offered help: among them, dear Flavio, an exceptionally talented countertenor friend (senesino83), luisortmul, and Idaspe who sent me the score. I can never thank all of you enough. But the quest is far from being complete. This piece is a mystery wrapped in an enigma in regard to the text. It was probably written by Paolo Rolli, because parts of it appear in a cantata that he published in London in 1727 (books.google.com/books?id=wjNc.... It seems to have been re-written by Rolli some time after Caldara set it. And the text of the first aria was also set by Handel in his cantata of the same name: 'Dolc'è pur d'amor l'affanno'. Even as I type these sentences Marc is researching for more info.
Thank you all for your help and time.
Eser.
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Recitativo
Soffri, mio caro Alcino,
qualche rigor d'inevitabil pena.
Ad un vero gioire
non si può giunger mai
senza incontrar per via qualche martire.
Amor sempre nasconde
i suoi fior fra le spine;
ma son cari gl'affanni,
che misto han le dolcezze,
o durevol contento han per confine.
Aria
Dolce è pur d'amor l'affanno
se compagno del tormento
il contento viene ancor.
Se le pene insieme vanno
colla speme e coll'affetto
il diletto è poi maggior.
Recitativo
Se mai ti nasce in mente
sospettoso pensiero della mia fè,
dell'amor mio nemico,
non gli prestar mai fede
digli ch'è menzognero,
ed a quanto ti finge
rispondi non è vero.
Da quel momento, o caro,
ch'io proposi d'amarti
sino all'ultimo dì del viver mio,
scorgerai nel mio petto
la fiamma istessa del mio primo affetto.
Aria
Non potrai dir mai, no,
che Dori t'ingannò,
così non possa anch'io,
caro, mai dir di te.
Credimi che se mai
geloso tu sarai
offendi l'amor mio,
caro, fai torto alla mia fè.
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More information about this work on Marc's website:
the-persian-hours.perso.sfr.fr...
Eser

[@flavioscorner]

Woof. I totally grew up listening to this on a cassette tape....

[@jessevieira638]

Bravo! ❤

[@theinkbrain]

Beautiful post - great job uploading it with all the trimmings, and I thank you for all your time and trouble and dedication.

[@mradaChris]

I enjoyed this, I loved how he went up an octave on final notes.

[@helena56100]

Belissimo parabéns

[@ApsisApocynthion]

A musical treat.

[@alcinomeireles]

Muito bom! Só não quero sofrer mais!

[@flavioscorner]

Thank you so much Eser!

[@JulienNeel]

@civileso Thanks for the info, much appreciated.

[@civileso]

@trudbol In a nutshell, A 415Hz is a widely accepted Baroque tuning for the sake of having a standard since there is a wide variety of tuning for different periods and different locations for Baroque music. The historically informed period ensembles generally use this standard not only to be historically correct but also to facilitate tuning their period instruments.

[@HathaYodel]

delicious! many thanks

[@civileso]

@AlainNaigeon Hello Alain! Nice to see you around.

[@JulienNeel]

Thank you for uploading this, it's beautiful. I also appreciate the detailed video text description, it helps me appreciate the work with more depth. One naive question : why is the A4 pitch at 415Hz? It's almost G#4. Is there a reason for the instruments to be tuned this flat?

[@MehdiCapsI]

@ssaillensine Actually, in the booklet, they admit that their use of the dulcimer in the cantatas (to complete the continuo and even to replace a solo violin!) is only experimental. They recorded two oratorio arias which indeed required an obbligato dulcimer (and not a pantaleon, since "hardly any of the original music for the famous instrument has survived"), but neither the dulcimer nor the pantaleon were ever used for Roman cantatas, as far as I know.

[@civileso]

@senesino83 Hehe :) This is one of those few pieces of music that I desperately want to sing if I had the means. It is a rarely performed piece, which beats me why. I tried to find others but was able to find only one other performance, which was sung beautifully, but with a very weird accompaniment. I have a feeling that you could do a great job on this one.

[@civileso]

@ssaillensine Yes, it is the Banholzer version I was talking about. But that piece of info is really interesting. May I ask where you obtained this info? Was it Banholzer CD booklet, a journal article or a book? In any case, thank you very much!

[@MehdiCapsI]

@ssaillensine He does sing very well. This is why he kind of ruined his recording with the use of the dulcimer, in my opinion. It does sound good, but it is not justified at all. Actually, a pianoforte would have been more acceptable, because it does seem that some of Händel's cantatas, for instance, were performed with a very early prototype of pianoforte (hence the entirely written out right hand for a few of them).