Aminta e Fillide - Handel

Although Aminta e Fillide is rarely performed, one is immediately struck by the sense of familiarity it exudes. In fact, this is hardly surprising: this early pastoral cantata, written during Handel's first stay in Rome (1708), provided the material for several of his masterpieces many years later. Some of the most famous arias from Agrippina, Rinaldo and the Ode to Saint Cecilia are literally taken from that score!

The variety of the 40 or so arias in Aminta e Fillide is equally astonishing. It was originally composed for Marquis Ruspoli and the Académie des Arcadiens - a group of literati gathered under the patronage of Queen Christine of Sweden, who liked to meet in the heat of the Roman summer in the marquis's idyllic gardens. For almost an hour, the story follows in a sober style the amorous assaults of the shepherd Aminta, obstructed by the reluctance of the nymph Fillide... but Aminta's steadfastness and fidelity will eventually melt her heart.