Lascia ch'io pianga

Lascia ch’io pianga (Let Me Weep) is an aria from the opera Rinaldo. Aaron Hill wrote the scenario, after which Giacomo Rossi wrote the beautiful texts. George Frederick Händel added the music later. According to reports, Händel composed the music within fourteen days while using many melodies from earlier works. In 1711, Rinaldo was performed for the first time. The fairytale-like staging was very spectacular at the time. This is one of the reasons for the enormous popularity of this opera.

In Lascia ch’io pianga, the abducted Almirena, who is the love of Rinaldo’s life, sings of her poignant fate in the enchanted garden of Armida (the ally of Rinaldo’s rival Argante). The melody of this wonderful aria is known all over the world, and this arrangement by Jacob de Haan does it justice splendidly.