Handel’s cantata Apollo & Dafne was written in Venice when he was just 24 years old. It tells the story of Apollo, who in his vanity suggests that even Cupid’s bow is no match for his own. Challenging Apollo’s boastfulness, Cupid shoots his arrows and Apollo falls prey to rapturous yearnings for Dafne. She spurns his advances and, in a desperate effort to escape, is transformed into a laurel tree. Handel’s motet Silete venti, which expresses the soul’s desire for bliss, will be performed by coloratura soprano Mary Wilson, noted for her “stage presence that is mesmerizing” Arizona Daily Star. Baritone Mischa Bouvier—recently praised by San Francisco Classical Voice for his “immensely sympathetic, soulful voice”—will complete the program of virtuosic vocal works with a set of glorious arias by J. S. Bach.
Handel’s cantata Apollo & Dafne was written in Venice when he was just 24 years old. It tells the story of Apollo, who in his vanity suggests that even Cupid’s bow is no match for his own. Challenging Apollo’s boastfulness, Cupid shoots his arrows and Apollo falls prey to rapturous yearnings for Dafne. She spurns his advances and, in a desperate effort to escape, is transformed into a laurel tree. Handel’s motet Silete venti, which expresses the soul’s desire for bliss, will be performed by coloratura soprano Mary Wilson, noted for her “stage presence that is mesmerizing” Arizona Daily Star. Baritone Mischa Bouvier—recently praised by San Francisco Classical Voice for his “immensely sympathetic, soulful voice”—will complete the program of virtuosic vocal works with a set of glorious arias by J. S. Bach.
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