Norma Sharp sings a florid aria Handel borrowed from himself

Handel: RODRIGO - Per dar pregio all'amor mio, Karlsruhe 1987 ["Il delirio amoroso" cantata] THE SONGBIRD: Norma Sharp comes from Oklahoma, born in 1943. She studied voice and musicology at the University of Kansas, then won a scholarship to the conservatories in Hamburg and Köln. Her initial successes were in Mozart -- she sang Donna Anna at Glyndebourne in 1978 and at Scottish Opera in 1979. Her debut role at La Scala was Countess Almaviva in 1982. Other Mozart roles included Fiordiligi, Pamina, Vitellia, and Donna Elvira. At the Vienna Staatsoper she made her debut in 1979 as Sophie, then reappeared until 1987 as Rosalinde, Eva, Pamina, and Countess Almaviva. Sharp became known for her interpretations of the German young dramatic soprano repertoire including the Marschallin, Countess in "Capriccio," Arabella, Agathe, and Wagner's Elsa and Elisabeth, across Europe and at Bayreuth from 1977 to 1981. She was a company member of the Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe for many seasons. THE MUSIC: "Rodrigo" was Handel's first opera written to be performed in Italy, premiering in Florence in late 1707. Also composed that year was his cantata "Il delirio amoroso," which premiered in Rome in May. This aria from "Rodrigo" for the character Esilena, "Per dar pregio all'amor mio," is almost a direct copy of the cantata’s first aria movement, "Un pensiero voli in ciel." The elegant, virtuoso interplay between the soprano and violin obbligato is noteworthy. To compare, here is a link to a performance of the full cantata on this songbirdwatcher by soprano Lenneke Ruiten:    • Lenneke Ruiten digs into Handel's long, el...