Choral Christmas: Magnificent Monteverdi

At 9am GMT on each day of Advent, I’ll be posting a YouTube video of a piece which, in my opinion, celebrates the best of music made by the human voice. You can access the full Choral Christmas here.

Monteverdi: Dove, dov’è la fede, performed by Concerto Italiano

This video contains the final two movements of Ariadne’s Lament, by Monteverdi, though it is particularly the third movement (the opening bit of this video) that I wanted to play.

Is this how you set me on the high throne
of your ancestors?
Are these the crowns
with which you adorn my locks?
Are these the sceptres,
the jewels and the gold:
to leave me, abandonned
for the wild beast to tear and devour?
Ah, my Theseus,
will you leave to die,
weeping and calling in vain for help,
wretched Ariadne,
who trusted you and
gave you glory and saved your very life?

Alas, he doesn’t even answer!
Alas, he is deafer than a snake to my cries!

Merry Christmas.

Scores for Ariadne’s Lament, as well as a full translation, (Lamento d’Arianna) are available on CPDL.