

Discover more from Opera Daily
Opera Daily đ¶ â ZĂŒrich Opera House, Bartoli and Thermal Baths
This week's Opera Daily features ZĂŒrich Opera House, Handel and Vals Thermal Baths by Peter Zumthor
đ Hello to the new Opera Daily subscribers who have joined us this week. A reminder that you can check out the complete Opera Daily archives and the playlist on YouTube for more selections. If you were forwarded this email by a friend, join us by subscribing here:
In 2016, I went to ZĂŒrich with a close friend to visit the Vals Thermal Baths in the Swiss village of Vals.
We had heard so much about the baths, designed by the famous architect Peter Zumthor. The hotel is known for their beautiful natural surroundings and therapeutic and relaxing properties. The hotel is fed by natural thermal springs that have been used for their health benefits for centuries. We were intrigued!
When we arrived in Vals, we were immediately struck by the beauty of the baths. They are built entirely out of local Valser quartzite stone and are designed to blend seamlessly into the surrounding landscape, using natural materials such as stone and wood.
After several days at the baths, we headed back to ZĂŒrich to catch our flight which was scheduled for the next day. Walking around the city, I realized that we walked past The ZĂŒrich Opera House.
We decided to check if any last-minute tickets were available for that nightâs performance. To our amazement, some tickets were left, and we quickly snatched them up: Alcina by George Frideric Handel with Cecilia Bartoli!
I couldnât get ahold of The ZĂŒrich performance of Alcina for today, so I am sharing Bartoli singing another incredible Handel piece: âLascia ch'io piangaâ, originally âLascia la spina, cogli la rosaâ.
đ§Â Listen here (6 minute listen): Cecilia Bartoli singing âLascia ch'io piangaâ, originally âLascia la spina, cogli la rosaâ, Live in Italy, Teatro Olimpico, Vicenza, 1998
âLascia ch'io piangaâ (âLet me weepâ) is from the opera Rinaldo by George Frideric Handel. Handel had already composed it (the aria) in 1705 and transformed it into a piece for Rinaldo. The aria is sung by the character Almirena, who pleads with the gods to release her from her sorrows and allow her to weep. She sings of the pain and suffering she has endured and begs for the release of tears to cleanse her soul and bring her peace.
The aria is beautiful and haunting with a rich melody that conveys the depth of Almirenaâs emotions. The lyrics, originally written in Italian as âLascia la spina, cogli la rosaâ (âLeave the thorn, pick the roseâ), speak to the idea of letting go of oneâs troubles and hardships in order to find joy and beauty in life. The aria is a powerful and moving expression of Almirenaâs pain.
Overall, it was an incredible trip to ZĂŒrich.Â
The fact that we could get tickets at the last minute made it all the more special. I will never forget that trip to Zurich, mainly because it was finished with an amazing (unexpected!) opera experience.
Would love to hear about any amazing opera experiences youâve had â bonus points for anything unexpected or last minute!
Thank you for reading (and listening), and feel free to reply with feedback or leave a comment.
Michele
PS. If you missed last weekâs selection, we featured the final trio from Rossiniâs Le Comte Ory
â€ïž If you enjoyed this selection, please hit the heart to like it (and share it too!)
Opera Daily đ¶ â ZĂŒrich Opera House, Bartoli and Thermal Baths
There was a woebegone production of ALCINA at NYC Opera in the 1980's.
Am happy it was well done in Zurich with Bartoli who never came back to The Met. Our profound loss, helas.
Cecilia Bartoli singing âLascia ch'io piangaâ was exquisite - so beautiful