“Verdi prati” from Alcina (1735)

Captive on Alcina’s enchanted island, where he was happy to stay as her lover until he realised that he was under a spell, Ruggiero is about to be rescued by his betrothed, Bradamante. In “Verdi prati” he bids farewell to the verdant island landscape which he knows will be restored to its true desert state when, as planned, they deprive Alcina of her magic powers.

Although the celebrated alto castrato Giovanni Carestini was, by all accounts, reluctant to accept an aria with such a modest vocal line, “Verdi prati” made an immediate impression on the public when Alcina was first performed at Covent Garden in 1735 – perhaps because, with its poised melodic purity and its serious sarabande rhythms, it was reminiscent of London’s long-term favourite among Handel arias, “Lascio ch’io pianga” from Rinaldo.