Handel: As steals the morn (L'Allegro, HWV 55) Amanda Forsythe & Thomas Cooley, Voices of Music 4K

One of Handel's finest arias, As steals the morn upon the night, performed on original instruments by the Early Music ensemble Voices of Music. Presented for the first time in 4K, ultra high definition video--from our award winning concert "As steals the Morn," March, 2019. This concert placed first in the SFCV "Best of the Bay" awards, 2018-2019. Amanda Forsythe and Thomas Cooley, soloists. Marc Schachman and Anna Marsh, baroque oboe & bassoon.
In memoriam Edward W. Tayler (1931-2018)
As steals the morn upon the night,
And melts the shades away:
So Truth does Fancy’s charm dissolve,
And rising Reason puts to flight
The fumes that did the mind involve,
Restoring intellectual day.
—William Shakespeare, John Milton & Charles Jennens
“As steals the morn” shows Handel at his very best as a composer: he employs full, rich counterpoint throughout the aria, and he provides extended melismas for the soprano and tenor voices as well as the oboe and bassoon. The text was originally drawn from Shakespeare’s Tempest:
(aside) “The charm dissolves apace,
And as the morning steals upon the night,
Melting the darkness, so their rising senses
Begin to chase the ignorant fumes that mantle
Their clearer reason... (Act 5, Scene 1)
The play as a whole was widely imitated in the baroque period, and Handel's librettist, Charles Jennens, combined Milton's "L'Allegro" and "Il Penseroso" and added his own "Moderato." Milton and Jennens borrow some of the evocative images and vocabulary from Shakespeare, such as "dissolve," "fancy," "charm" "morn & night," and scholar Laurence Lerner notes Shakespeare's influence on Milton's poems ("The English Poems of John Milton"). However, "As steals the morn" is based on Shakespeare and sourced from Jennens' contribution to the libretto, "Moderato."
L’Allegro premiered in February of 1740. The original cast was soprano Elisabeth Duparc (‘La Francesina’) a boy treble, tenor John Beard, and basses Henry Reinhold and William Savage.
Text:
As steals the morn upon the night,
And melts the shades away:
So Truth does Fancy's charm dissolve,
And rising Reason puts to flight
The fumes that did the mind involve,
Restoring intellectual day.
#Handel #Milton #shakespeare
High Definition Audio: Boby Borisov
Final audio and video master: David Tayler

[alistairmacdonald]

Elegance personified. Superb woodwind playing and perfect instrumental colour, which brings out all the subtleties of this most English of Handel movements. Perfect understated lyrical singing too. Above all a wonderful demonstration of an ensemble bringing beautiful music alive by listening and reacting to every nuance of the performance of every member of the group. Bravo and let’s have more!

[francescoficarella]

My Mom listened this execution many times in the last two months of her life. Her cancer was not human but you have done a miracle giving her a soft smile when she listened you. Thanks from my heart, heart of a son ..heart of musician too.

[staffanolofsson]

We are lucky living in a world were this music is written, played and produced so we can all enjoy the beauty!

[arielmorandy]

Hard for me to listen to it without crying. From very young age my father used to play this aria. He became a chorister and toured Europe when he was 45-50. He died 5 years ago. Every time i listen to this i can hear him speaking to me. Beautiful. Hello everyone this is 2022. How are you?

[ritabowen]

This performance is beyond words. Thomas and Amanda are perfectly matched. And so are the instruments and the whole ensemble. So in tune with each other. This rendition really soothes my soul.

[Agaveo_Productions]

The music, the arrangement and the performance of both the musicians and the singers are wonderful. A bright and vibrant texture of sounds in perfect balance that lifts your heart from worries and fills you with confidence for the new day. Thank you!❤❤❤

[jpcoll]

Two years later and I keep wanting to thumbs up this piece of art. There are singers on this planet and then there are these two wonders of the world ❤️

[justindouglas]

Some of the most beautiful music ever written. It brings tears to my eyes.

[woomichen]

Melts the shades away...watching this did it. Great performance and awesome sound engineers.

[calathea]

Zum Niederknien schön! Es ist das letzte Stück, das ich meinem Mann am Sterbebett mit auf die Reise gegeben habe - er hat diese begnadete Aufnahme geliebt. Begleitet von solchen Klängen kann man diese Welt getrost verlassen.

[rubbishsignup]

One of the most beautiful and perfect performances of a piece of music I have ever heard.

[lonniethomas]

I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve listened to this - each time is just as alluring as the first!

[jan-pietervanwaasbergen]

I love classical music so much and all my life, I am 56 years old. To be honest, since a short time I discovered Barok Opera's, Haendel, Rameau, Vivaldi, and I love it so much. It gives me so much pleasure, comfort. And now these times with Covid 19, it is a pleasure to sit at home and listen to this beautiful music. I wish all listeners all over the world: stay safe, enjoy this beautiful music, one day this virus will be gone. Music will be always there, greetings from the Netherlands.

[jblazar]

Every time I watch this, I'm entranced. The singing is glorious, with wonderful interaction between Amanda and Thomas. The winds are superb, with the singing oboe and the wonderfully expressive bassoon. What a wonderful performance of a joyous piece of music!

[basilthrush]

Is it just me: so many Handel arias get inside my head and stay there for days. He seems to have this ability to conjure up these incredibly catchy tunes, in a way that few other composers have. This is no exception and it’s beautifully performed ... and presented, with lovely interaction between the singers. I keep coming back to this again and again. Wonderful

[spoffspoffington]

This was my companion during the lockdown.

[jenniferbate]

I can’t stop listening to this wonderful recording. It’s sublime.❤

[marcmourier]

What an incredible performance…even from the most critical perspective. Heavenly voices. What a lesson in controlled state presence! Love, kindness and compassion exude from these 2 soloists. I have had to watch this several dozens of times to soak in their positivity. It is so good that I became an instant donor…as a professional musician I don’t pull that trigger too fast. And…did I forgot to say thanks to Handel?

[georgeallen]

I am losing my haring, and listen to the sounds that I can carry in my head when world finally become silent. The timelessness of this piece would make George Fredrick himself warmed if he were with us …….. and he would be very pleased . Thank you to the players .l have another sound to memorise that is worth memorising…….

[waldtraudblume]

Diese Musik und die Stimmen sind so himmlisch und wunderschön, daß man dieses Duett den ganzen Tag anhören möchte. Herzlichen Dank für diese tolle Darbietung. 👍👏❤️🌻