OMBRA MAI FU(score & parts)

Ombra mai fu is the opening aria from Handel’s 1738 opera Xerxes (Serse) which is set in Persia (modern-day Iran) in around 470 BC. 18th century London audiences were confused by the ‘alien’ mix of serious and comic opera and consequently it was a flop, closing after just five performances. However, the beautifully plaintive Ombra mai fu was rediscovered and is now one of Handel’s best-known pieces. It has featured in a number of films, including Dangerous Liaisons (1988).

The title translates from the Italian as ‘Never was a shade’. It is sung by the main character, Xerxes, as he gives loving thanks to a plane tree for providing him with shade:

Tender and beautiful fronds
of my beloved plane tree,
let Fate smile upon you.
May thunder, lightning, and storms
never disturb your dear peace,
nor may you by blowing winds be profaned.

Never was a shade
of any plant
dearer and more lovely,
or more sweet.

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