Al desio di chi t'adora, K. 577
For soprano with 2 basset horns, 2 bassoons, 2 horns in F, and strings
Program Notes by Martin Pearlman
Mozart composed the arias Un moto di gioia (K. 579) and Al desio di chi t'adora (K. 577) for a revival of The Marriage of Figaro, which took place in Vienna in 1789, three years after the premiere of the opera. In all probability, they were demanded by the new diva who played the role of Susanna, Adriana Ferrarese del Bene. While they make fine music for a concert, these arias are peculiar substitutions in the drama of the opera itself and are almost never heard in that context.
Un moto di gioia replaced the aria Venite, inginocchiatevi in Act II, where Cherubino is being dressed up as a girl. The second aria, Al desio di chi t'adora, with its unusual wind music for basset horns, bassoons and horns, replaced Susanna's famous aria Deh vieni. To introduce the latter aria in a concert performance, one could well perform Susanna's preceding recitative Giunse alfin il momento, which will be familiar to those who know the opera and will give context for the substitute aria. The author of the texts for these two arias is not known for certain but may well be Lorenzo da Ponte, the original librettist of Figaro.
Mozart, Al desio di chi t'adora, K. 577
Recitativo:
Giunse alfin il momento
Che godrò senz'affanno
In braccio all'idol mio.
Timide cure, uscite dal mio petto,
A turbar non venite il mio diletto!
Oh come par che all'amoroso foco
L'amenità del loco,
La terra e il ciel risponda,
Come la notte i furti miei seconda!
Aria:
Al desio di chi t'adora,
Vieni, vola, oh mia speranza!
Morirò se indarno ancora
Tu mi lasci sospirar.
Le promesse, i giuramenti,
Deh! rammenta, oh mio tesoro!
E i momenti di ristoro,
Che me fece Amor sperar!
Ah! ch'omai più non resisto
All'ardor che il sen m'accende.
Chi d'amor gli affetti intende,
Compatisca il mio penar.
Recitative:
At last the moment has arrived
which I shall enjoy carefree
in the arms of my beloved.
Timid cares, leave my breast;
do not come to disturb my delight!
Oh, how this pleasant spot,
heaven and earth seem to respond
to the flame of love;
how night favors my secret passions!
Aria:
Come fly, oh my hope,
to the desire of the one who loves you!
I shall die if you leave me
still to long for you in vain.
Pray remember, oh my treasure,
the promises, the vows you made,
and the moments of consolation
which Love led me to hope for!
Ah, now that I can no longer resist
the ardor that sets my heart on fire,
may those who know the feelings of love
sympathize with my sufferings.
Boston Baroque Performances
Al desio di chi t'adora, K. 577
March 15, 1997
NEC’s Jordan Hall, Boston, MA
Martin Pearlman, conductor
Soloist:
Dominique Labelle, soprano