Aer tranquillo e di sereni

THE SONGBIRD: Born in Greece, Margherita Perras (1908 - 1984) sang in church from childhood, performing solos for weddings and funerals. She studied at the music conservatory in Thessaloniki and then at the Berlin University of the Arts, where her 1927 performance as Norina attracted the attention of Bruno Walter, who hired her to sing Nuri in "Tiefland" and Cupid in "Orfeo ed Euridice." After touring in Spain, Argentina, and Brazil, she took up residence at the Berlin Staatsoper. In 1935 she was Konstanze in Vienna and Salzburg, as well as in Glyndebourne in 1937. Other Mozart roles included Queen of the Night, Susanna, and Pamina. In 1936 she sang Gilda at the Royal Opera House in London. In 1937 she married and settled in Zürich continuing with recitals and occasional operatic and radio performances.

THE MUSIC: Mozart's 1775 pastoral opera seria "Il re pastore" K.208 is one of my favorites. It was commissioned for a visit by the Archduke of Austria to Salzburg, where it had its premiere. The small cast has three sopranos (Elisa, Tamiri, and the leading role of Aminta, written for a castrato) and two tenors. The plot revolves around Aminta's discovery that he is more than a simple shepherd, but in fact the heir to the throne of Sidon, and how he is torn between fulfilling that royal duty and his love for the shepherdess Elisa. Aminta's first aria is a charming showpiece "Aer tranquillo e dì sereni," celebrating the best aspects of his life as a shepherd.