Jean-Claude Malgoire
CD 1
[1] Ouverture 4:23
[2] Gigue 1:12
Atto primo · Act One · Acte un · Erster Akt
[3] Recitativo accompagnato Frondi tenere 0:51
Serse
[4] Arioso Ombra mai fu 3:10
Serse
[5] Sinfonia e recitativo Sento un soave concento 2:40
Arsamene, Elviro, Romilda
[6] Qui si canta il mio nome — Un Serse mirate 1:46
Serse, Romilda, Arsamene
[7] Arietta Va godendo vezzoso e bello — Recitativo Quel canto a un bel amor 4:10
Romilda, Serse, Arsamene
[8] Aria Io le dirò che l’amo — Tu le dirai che l’ami 4:39
— Recitativo Arsamene!
Serse, Arsamene, Romilda, Arsamene, Atalanta
[9] Aria Sì, sì, mio ben — Recitativo Presto, Signor, vien Serse 3:27
Atalanta, Elviro, Arsamene, Serse, Romilda
[10] Aria Meglio in voi col mio partire — Recitativo Bellissima Romilda 3:08
Arsamene, Serse
[11] Arietta Di tacere e di schernirmi — Recitativo Aspide sono 3:10
Serse, Romilda
[12] Arietta Né men con l’ombre d’infedeltà 2:10
Romilda
[13] Arioso Se cangio spoglia — Recitativo Pugnammo, amici 2:32
Amastre, Ariodate, Amastre
[14] Coro Già la tromba che chiamò — Recitativo Ecco Serse 1:42
Coro; Amastre, Serse, Ariodate
[15] Aria Soggetto al mio volere — Recitativo Queste vittorie io credo 5:13
Ariodate, Coro, Serse, Amastre
[16] Aria Più che penso alle fiamme — Recitativo Eccoti il foglio 8:08
Serse, Arsamene, Elviro
[17] Arietta Signor, lasciate far a me 0:30
Elviro
[18] Aria Non so se sia la speme — Recitativo Tradir di reggia sposa 5;40
Arsamene, Amastre
[19] Aria Saprà delle mie offese — Recitativo Al fin sarete sposa 7:00
Amastre, Atalanta, Romilda
[20] Aria Se l’odol mio rapir mi vuol — Recitativo Per rapir quel tesoro 5:46
Romilda, Atalanta
[21] Aria Un cenno leggiadretto 4:20
Atalanta
CD 3
Atto terzo · Act Three · Acte trois · Dritter Akt
[1] Sinfonia—Recitativo Sono vani i pretesti 5:14
Arsamene, Romilda, Atalanta, Elviro
[2] Arietta No, no, se tu mi sprezzi — Recitativo Ecco in segno di fé 2:21
Atalanta; Rosmilda, Elviro, Arsamene, Serse
[3] Aria Per rendermi beato — Recitativo Ubbidirò al mio Re? 5|:01
Serse; Arsamene, Romilda
[4] Aria Amor, tiranno Amor — Recitativo Come già vi accenammo 5:52
Arsamene; Serse, Ariodate
[5] Aria Del Ciel d’amore sorte sì bella — Recitativo Il suo serto rifiuto 6:22
Ariodate; Romilda, Serse, Amastre
[6] Aria Cagion son io del mio dolore — Recitativo Romilda infida 2:47
Amastre; Arsamene, Romilda
[7] Duetto Troppo oltraggi la mia fede 3:51
Romilda, Arsamene
[8] Coro Ciò che Giove destinò — Recitativo Ecco lo sposo 5:22
Coro; Ariodate, Arsamene, Romilda, Serse
[9] Aria Crude furie degl’orridi abissi — Recitativo Perfidi! E ancor 6:17
Serse; tutti
[10] Aria Caro voi siete all’alma 2:04
Romilda
[11] Coro Ritorna a noi la calma 1:39
Coro, tutti
CD 2
Atto secondo · Act Two · Acte deux · Zweiter Akt
[1] Arioso Speranze mie fermate 0:51
Amastre
[2] Arietta Ah, chi voler fiora — Recitativo E chi direbbe mai 5:31
Elviro; Elviro, Amastre, Atalanta
[3] Arioso Ah! Tifre infedele — Recitativo Parti; il Re s’avvicina 0:36
Elviro; Atalanta, Elviro
[4] Arioso E’ tormento troppo fiero — Recitativo Di quel foglio 2:50
Serse; Serse, Atalanta
[5] Aria Dirà che amor per me — Duetto L’ammerete? — L’amerò 5:19
Atalanta; Serse, Romilda
[6] Aria Se Bramante d’amar chi vi sdegna 6:28
Serse
[7] Recitativo accompagnato L’amerò? Non fia vero—Aria E’ gelosia 4:27
Quella tiranna — Recitativo Già ché il duol
Romilda; Amastre, Elviro
[8] Aria Anima infida, tradita io sono — Recitativo E’ pazzo affè 2:36
Amastre; Elviro, Arsamene
[9] Aria Quell ache tutta fè 3:12
Arsamene
[10] Coro La virtute sol potea — Recitativo Ariodate? 1:41
Coro; Serse, Ariodate
[11] Arioso Per dar fine alla mia pena — Recitativo Arsamene. Ove andate? 2:38
Coro; Serse, Ariuodate
[12] Arietta Sì, la voglio e la otterrò — Recitativo V’inchino, eccelso Re 3:33
Arsamene; Atalanta, Serse
[13] Aria Voi mi dite che non l’ami — Recitativo Saria lieve ogni doglia 2:21
Atalanta; Serse
[14] Aria Il core speta e terme 4:46
Serse
[15] Recitativo Me infelice — Arietta Del mio caro baco amabile 2:32
Elviro
[16] Duetto Gran pena è gelosia — Recitativo Aspra sorte! 2:48
Serse, Amastre
[17] Arietta Val più contento core — Recitativo Vuò ch’abbian fine 3:19
Romilda; Serse, Romilda, Amastre
[18] Aria Chi sede al furore di stele rubella 3:01
Romilda
SYNOPSIS
CD 1
Act One
Serse (Xerxes), King of Persia, reclines in a garden and blesses the tree that shades him. His brother Arsamene, attended by his sleepy servant Elviro, comes in search of his beloved Romilda, whose voice is heard from inside a summer-house, mocking the King’s love for a mere tree. Serse is enraptured, asks Arsamene who the singer is and orders him to plead his cause. When his brother refuses, he goes off to do it himself. Arsamene warns Romilda of Serse’s intentions, thereby giving hope to her sister Atalanta, who also has designs on Arsamene. The latter protests when Serse asks Romilda to share his throne, and is promptly banished; but Romilda refuses to abandon him for Serse. Amastre, Serse’s promised bride, comes to seek him disguised as a soldier. Ariodate, Serse’s general and father of the two sisters, leads his army back from a victorious campaign. Serse promises that Romilda shall marry a prince “equal to Xerxes, and of Xerxes’ line”, and takes the victory as a good omen for his own love. Amastre, thinking at first that he is referring to her, nearly betrays herself. Arsamene gives Elviro a letter for Romilda asking for a meeting before his exile. Amastre, disgusted at Serse’s treachery, meditates revenge. Atalanta advises her sister to accept Serse, since Arsamene loves someone else. Romilda sees trough this and tells her not to deceive herelf, but Atalanta determines to gain her ends by exploiting her charms.
CD 2
Act Two
In a square in the city, Elviro, disguised as a flower-seller, meets Amastre, who learns of the love triangle between Serse, Arsamene and Ro,ilda and departs with a heavy heart. Atalanta buys some of Elviro’s flowers and induces him to give her Arsamene’s letter to Romilda. When Serse finds her reading it, he claims it is addressed to her and that Arsamene is pretending to love Romilda in order to hide his affair with Atalanta. Serse is surprised and delighted, and readily agrees to marrying Arsamene. Serse shows the letter to Romilda. Believing it is addressed to Atalanta, she gives way to resentment and jealousy. Elviro prevents Amastre from committing suicide, then drives Arsamene to despair by telling him that Romilda now loves Serse.
The scene changes to the bridge over the Hellespont by which Serse proposes to lead his army to the invasion of Greece. He tells the dejected Arsamene that he can have his girl; Arsamene takes this as a bitter jest and stoutly demands Romilda. It is now Serse’s turn to disappoint Atalanta: she must forget Arsamene, who does not love her.
Elviro, searching for his master, contemplates the bridge with alarm, as a storm is rising. He sings a drinking song as the bridge collapses. Outside the city, Serse and Amastre (whom he does not recognize in her disguise) complain the pangs of jealousy. In a scene full of ironical cross-purposes she claims to be a soldier wounded in Serse’s cause; he invites her to serve again. Then he demands an answer from Romilda. Amastre, rushing forward, warns her not to trust him. He departs angrily, and Romilda stops a fight between his guards and Amastre, whom she releases. In a noble aria she proclaims that her love will never swerve.
CD 3
Act Three
Arsamene and Romilda demand an explanation from Atalanta, who is full of excuses for her duplicity. They fall into each other’s arms, and Atalanta trots off to seek a new lover. Serse renews his siege of Romilda and at last gains her consent to marry him if her father approves. She is led off by her women in a state of collapse after saying farewell to Arsamene, who is heart-broken. Serse tells Ariodate that, if he agrees, Romilda shall have a consort of royal blood who will visit their apartments. Thinking he means Arsamene, Ariodate is delighted. Romilda now angrily rejects Serse’s diadem, saying she was once loved by Arsamene - with kisses. Serse takes this as an excuse to prevent his marriage, but decides to make sure by ordering his guards to kill Arsamene. Romilda asks Amastre to warn him. Amastre in return gives her a letter for Serse, whom she still loves, though his infidelity torments her. Arsamene taxes Romilda with sending the warning to get rid of him, and they quarrel bitterly in a duet.
The last scene takes place in a temple. Ariodate leads in Romilda and Arsamene still quarrelling, and astonishes them by declaring that they are to he married on Serse’s orders. They quickly consent; Ariodate joins their hands and hurries off to inform the King. Serse decides it is time to announce that he himself is the bridegroom, and is thunderstruck on learning that Romil¬da is already married to his brother.
A page brings Serse a letter, which (assuming it is from Romilda) he orders Ariodate to read aloud. it is a declaration of love and reproach. When Ariodate reaches the signature - Amastre - Serse seizes the letter. This is the last straw: he invokes the Furies to shower poison on his head. The other characters try to appease him, but he draws his sword and orders Arsamene to kill Romilda. When Amastre asks to be allowed to pierce the heart that repaid true love with treachery, Serse consents. She snatches the sword and holds it to his breast, revealing her identity. Serse is shamed into repentance, embraces her, and asks all to forgive his anger.
© 1979 Winton Dean