Tornami a vagheggiar

THE SONGBIRD: Born in 1937, British soprano Valerie Masterson had a long career that began with opera in 1963 (Frasquita and Nanetta for a season in Salzburg), but switched focus in 1964 to operetta as she became a principal soprano in Gilbert and Sullivan works at the legendary D'Oyly Carte company in England and on tour. In the 1970s, her career expanded to encompass opera, concert, and recital appearances in many major musical centers (Paris, Aix, Prague, Geneva, San Francisco) with, of course, a focus on British opera companies including English National Opera (1971 debut as Konstanze), Glyndebourne (1972 debut also as Konstanze), and Royal Opera at Covent Garden (1974 debut as Woglinde). Other popular roles included Sophie, Cleopatra, Semele, Manon, Marguerite, Micaela, Susanna, Figaro's Countess, Fiordiligi, Pamina, Mimi, Gilda, and Violetta.

THE MUSIC: I'm posting various singers doing the arias for the two leading sopranos in "Alcina" -- this is Morgana's second aria of four.

"Alcina" was composed for Handel's first season at Covent Garden in London and premiered in 1735. The opera soon fell into obscurity and was not performed again until a production in Leipzig in 1928, followed by occasional revivals and recordings have since grown the opera's reputation; today it is one of Handel's most popular and widely produced. It's one of Handel's "magic" operas with sorcery and spells woven throughout the plot. Alcina and Morgana are sisters and both sorceresses who fall in love with mortals who trick them. Morgana ends Act One with one of the opera's best known arias, the bravura "Tornami a vagheggiar" where she emphatically reaffirms her love for Ricciardo, a knight who is actually a woman, Bradamante, in disguise.