Handel’s “Stille Amare”: The “Poison” Aria from “Tolomeo”

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Handel’s opera, Tolomeo, HWV 25, was first performed at the King’s Theatre in London on April 30, 1728, and featured a spectacular and renowned cast, which the composer imported from Italy. Set in 108 BC, its plot is ripe for high drama:

The story of Tolomeo is set in Ancient Egypt and follows Tolomeo, the son of a deposed king, who is forced to marry Seleuce, who is already married to his brother Araspe. Tolomeo discovers that he is loved by Seleuce but is in conflict with his brother Alessandro, who covets the throne of Egypt. Finally, Tolomeo renounces his rights and frees Seleuce so that she can be with the man she truly loves.

Tolomeo’s aria, Stille amare (“Sour drops”), forms the climax of the third act. Tolomeo is forced to drink what he believes is poison, and he gives us a description of what he feels as his life slips away gradually. Handel’s music is ominous, haunting, and inexorable. Amid mounting suspense, we get the sense of sand steadily slipping through an hourglass, and perhaps a fading heartbeat. The truncated aria fails to reach the conclusion of the da capo.

Originally scored for alto castrato, here the aria is performed by French mezzo-soprano Eva Zaïcik:

 

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Featured Image: mezzo-soprano Eva Zaïcik

About Timothy Judd

A native of Upstate New York, Timothy Judd has been a member of the Richmond Symphony violin section since 2001. He is a graduate of the Eastman School of Music where he earned the degrees Bachelor of Music and Master of Music, studying with world renowned Ukrainian-American violinist Oleh Krysa.

The son of public school music educators, Timothy Judd began violin lessons at the age of four through Eastman’s Community Education Division. He was a student of Anastasia Jempelis, one of the earliest champions of the Suzuki method in the United States.

A passionate teacher, Mr. Judd has maintained a private violin studio in the Richmond area since 2002 and has been active coaching chamber music and numerous youth orchestra sectionals.

In his free time, Timothy Judd enjoys working out with Richmond’s popular SEAL Team Physical Training program.

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4 thoughts on “Handel’s “Stille Amare”: The “Poison” Aria from “Tolomeo””

  1. “Haunting” is the perfect description. What a gorgeous aria and what a voice! I wasn’t aware of this aria nor the existence of the opera before this post. I searched Apple music and listened to the overture, which was beautiful. This blog is a treasure.

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  2. Hey from Greece I like to express my gratitude for your work, it is not that I always learn something new about classical music, but the way you describe is very helpful and complete . Thank you very much Konstantinos Samaras

    Reply

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