Mio cor, che mi sai dir?

Mio cor, che mi sai dir? from the opera from Rinaldo, HWV 7
by George Frideric Handel (1685-1759)

Nathalie Stutzmann, contralto
Orfeo 55

This aria was originally sung by contralto Francesca Vanini-Boschi (d. 1744), who created two male ("trouser") roles for Handel, Ottone in Agrippina in Rome (1709) and Goffredo in Rinaldo in London (1711).

Mio cor, che mi sai dir?
O vincer, o morir,
Sì, sì, ti'intendo!

Se la mia gloria freme
Sol da una bella speme
Io pace attendo.

My heart, what is your counsel?
Victory or death,
Yes, yes, I hear you!

If my honor trembles,
Fair hope alone gives me cause
To expect peace.

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Photography in the video by Kyle Thompson: