"Barbaro, oh Dio, mi vedi," from Il re pastore, K. 208
For soprano with 2 oboes, 2 horns (in Bb basso), and strings
Program Notes by Martin Pearlman
In 1775, shortly after his great success in Munich with the premiere of his comic opera La finta giardiniera, the nineteen-year-old Mozart received a prestigious commission. He was asked by the Prince-Archbishop of Salzburg to compose an opera for the visit of the Archduke Maximilian Franz, son of the empress Maria Theresa. The libretto was to be one by Pietro Metastasio, the most celebrated librettist of the time: Il re pastore (The Shepherd King), which had already been set to music by numerous composers. Very little is known about the actual performance and its level of success, but in the stirring music of this aria, we can feel the growing maturity of the teenage Mozart, who already had eight operas under his belt and would soon be writing some of his greatest works.
"Barbaro, oh Dio, mi vedi" is sung in the second act by the shepherdess Elisa. Her lover Aminta has been revealed as the true heir to the throne of Sidon, and in this aria, she expresses her anger at a courtier who will not allow her, a mere shepherdess, into the court to see him.
Boston Baroque Performances
"Barbaro, oh Dio, mi vedi," from Il re pastore, K. 208
October 25 & 27, 2019
NEC’s Jordan Hall, Boston, MA
Martin Pearlman, conductor
Soloist:
Amanda Forsythe, soprano