Song of the Week: "Il mio ben quando verrà" (Paisiello)

Song of the Week

Giovanni Paisiello (1740-1816)
Il mio ben quando verrà (When My Beloved Comes)
from Nina, o sia La Pazza per Amore

The Music

I came across this beautiful aria several weeks ago when I found an old six vinyl set of the opera at an antique shop. At home, I put the music on (starting from Act I) and it mostly served as pleasant background music as I did other work. Once it came to "Il mio ben quando verrà", however, I had to just stop for a moment and appreciate the music.

It context, Nina, the Count's daughter, is stricken with grief about her beloved, Lindoro, who seems to everyone else to have died. Nevertheless, she never fully accepts that he has died, and her song expresses hope for his return.

(Spoiler - he didn't really die!)


The Performance

I think Bartoli's recording is notable both for the delicacy she brings to every melodic line and the anguish of Nina that she conveys (especially around the five minute mark, and at 6:10).



The Text

by Benoît-Joseph Marsollier (1750-1817)

Italian

Il mio ben quando verrà
A veder la mesta amica?
Di bei fior s'ammanterà
La spiaggia aprica.
Ma nol vedo, e il mio ben,
Ahimè! Non vien?

Mentre all'aure spiegherà
La sua fiamma, i suoi lamenti,
Miti augei v'insegnerà
Più dolci accenti.
Ma non l'odo. E chi l'udì?
Ah! il mio bene ammutolì.

Tu cui stanca omai già fe'
Il mio pianto, eco pietosa,
Ei ritorna e dolce a te
Chiede, chiede la sposa.
Pian, mi chiama; piano ahimè!
No, non mi chiama, oh Dio, non c'è!

English translation: https://www.lieder.net/lieder/get_text.html?TextId=22460

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