Morrai si l'empia tua testa

*Note the high trill Joan executes upon a C6 in 5:37.

RODELINDA, Regina de' Longobardi (1725)
opera-seria in III acts by Georg Friedrich Händel
00:00 || Ombre, piante, urne funeste!
06:09 || ...Morrai sì, l'empia tua testa

In the excerpt above ("Ombre, piante, urne funeste!...Morrai sì, l'empia tua testa") Rodelinda and Flavio, her son, arrive to lay flowers at his memorial. She weeps at her husband's fate. In a recitative I have cut, Garibaldo enters with an ultimatum for Rodelinda: either she agrees to marry Grimoaldo, or her son will be put to death. Then, Rodelinda consents but also vows to demand Garibaldo's death when she returns to the throne.

Here, Rodelinda is sung by the great Australian soprano Joan Sutherland and conducting is Charles Farncombe with the Philomusica of London in the Sadler Well's Theater in London, England, UK. The performance was broadcasted live on June 24th, 1959. The performance was sung in English with translation by David Harris.

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