The Cape Town Baroque Orchestra presents Episode 4 of the ‘From the Handel Operas’ series. This 5-part series includes instrumental music, arias and duets from some of Handel’s most popular operas. In this episode, we feature soprano Stefanie True in the aria ‘Lascia ch’io pianga’ from Rinaldo (1711). The main melodic material of this aria first appeared as an instrumental sarabande in the opera Almira (Hamburg, 1705). Handel reworked the material into the aria ‘Lascia la spina, cogli la rosa’ for his oratorio Il trionfo del Tempo e del Disinganno (Rome, 1707). The 1711 iteration of this piece, the aria ‘Lascia ch’io pianga’ from Handel’s London opera Rinaldo, went on to become one of his most popular arias. This series was filmed in St Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in De Waterkant, which is the Cape Town Baroque Orchestra’s ‘home’ rehearsal and concert venue in Cape Town. St Andrew’s was built in 1828, and was the first church to open its doors to emancipated slaves. Today they continue to meet as a cross-cultural as a non-racial congregation. Baroque violin 1: Refiloe Olifant (concert master), Ralitza Macheva, Odile Burden, Nicole D’Oliveira, Jan-Hendrik Harley Baroque violin 2: Annien Shaw, Lucia di Blasio Scott, Valentina Vorster, Bonolo Kgaile Baroque viola: Lynn Rudolph, Emile de Roubaix, Remi Ludick Baroque cello: Cheryl de Havilland, Peter Martens Baroque double bass: Henrike Kovats Traverso: Bridget Rennie-Salonen Chamber organ: Dale de Windt Harpsichord/Director: Erik Dippenaar www.ctbaroque.co.za Recording engineer: Gerhard Roux Video production: Wyrd Films Support the work of the Cape Town Baroque Orchestra by donating. Visit https://ctbaroque.co.za/support-ctb/ or write to info@ctbaroque.co.za.
