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Mio caro Händel
“HA N DE L I S T H E G R E AT E ST
C OM P O S E R EV E R T O HAV E L I V E D.
I WO U L D BA R E M Y H E A D
A N D K N E E L B E S I DE H I S G R AV E .”
It was the same with me. I too sang in secret. But a neighbour heard me and ultimately persuaded YOU WERE A POP STAR LONG BEFORE POP EXISTED. Your aria “Ombra mai fu”
my parents to enrol me in the Leipzig Radio Children’s Choir when I was eight. Unfortunately my remains an international hit to this day, with millions of hits on YouTube. You merely “bor-
family had neither the money for an instrument nor any interest in acquiring one. But I had my rowed” this piece from Giovanni Bononcini. (I unearthed the original a number of years ago
voice. The whole of my training at music school and later when I studied privately was paid for and recorded it as a new discovery.) When people accused you of “data theft”, you replied with
out of the money I’d managed to save. Even today I remain very proud of this. an air of self-confidence: “It’s much too good for him; he did not know what to do with it.” Or, in
the words of a great connoisseur of music, “Handel took other men’s pebbles and polished them
Both of us were twelve when we lost our fathers. It is presumably fate that makes us strong – if into diamonds.”
we have to fight for the things we desire. We can achieve this only by drawing on our own inner
resources: with love, strength, faith and humility. It is an intense and valuable way of finally
harvesting genuine fruit.
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Dear George Frideric,
Y ou have been my constant companion in life as well as in art. What would I be without you?
Ever since your music found its way into my heart and soul, I have been inspired by your
For you, music was the greatest and perhaps the only thing that mattered. You even told your
king, George II, that you had no time for anything but music. I understand this all too well. Our
magic. You have always brought me good luck: for my entrance examination at Leipzig’s Acad- greatest love is music because in it we can sense the divine. Music has always consoled me and
emy of Music and Drama I chose an aria from Acis and Galatea and was immediately accepted given me strength so that I have never lost sight of meaning in my life. And you, dear Handel,
as a student. With you – and with “Piangerò la sorte mia” – people can only be winners. With were often with me on these occasions.
Cleopatra’s aria I won no fewer than three times: the examination to decide if I’d train as a soloist
or as a chorister, the Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy Prize and my audition for my first operatic
role, Asteria in Tamerlano.
HOW I WISH I COULD HAVE HEARD YOU LIVE ON STAGE! I think the way you dealt
with “difficult” singers was great. In any case, I would never have threatened to jump on your
harpsichord as the tenor Alexander Gordon did after complaining about your accompaniment Dear George Frideric,
of one of your arias. As so often, you reacted with irascible fury: “Let me know when you will
do that and I will advertise it: for I am sure more people will come to see you jump than hear
you sing.” A nd then there is the Englishman in you! You arrived at just the right time: London was then
the capital of the world, and you had no musical rivals. And you immediately scored the
greatest success of the season with Rinaldo, which you wrote in only two weeks. The Spectator
Or take Francesca Cuzzoni, for whom you wrote entire operas. And what a woman she was! noted that the opera “is filled with Thunder and Lightning, Illuminations, and Fireworks; which
Hailed as “the most famous soprano on the continent”, she was described by Burney as “endowed the Audience may look upon without catching Cold, and indeed without much Danger of being
by nature with a voice that was equally clear, sweet, and flexible. […] A native warble enabled burnt”. My aria “Furie terribili!” – Armida’s entrance aria – features this thunder and lightning.
her to execute divisions with such facility as to conceal every appearance of difficulty; and so And the score also contains a masterpiece, “Lascia ch’io pianga”, which is my all-time favourite
grateful and touching was the natural tone of her voice, that she rendered pathetic whatever she aria – it is always my final encore. THERE IS NO ONE ON THIS EARTH WHO DOES
sung.” But then a row broke out between the two of you when she refused to sing your aria “Falsa NOT LOVE IT, AND I SHALL NEVER STOP SINGING IT.
imagine”, claiming that it was insufficiently brilliant. At that point you seized the corpulent diva
and swore that you would fling her out of the window if she continued to resist you. Cuzzoni was Your next magic opera was Teseo and it, too, was a tremendous spectacle. Your only opera in five
so overwhelmed by your wild resolve that from then on she sang whatever you demanded of her. acts, it features monsters, Furies, flying dragons – a Baroque Lord of the Rings. Central to it is the
wild sorceress Medea and her impassioned music. For me her most passionate aria is “Morirò ma
I feel very close to her since our voices are similar in terms of tessitura, flexibility and an element vendicata”, a real vengeance aria with a text that demands quick-fire articulation. But the most
of lyrical melancholy. In New York I sang the role of Laodice in Siroe, and the press hailed me as tawdry trick came at the end, when your opera director decamped with your evening’s takings.
the “reincarnation of Cuzzoni”. Well, ultimately only you, dear George Frideric, can judge if this
is true. What wouldn’t I give to hear this from your own lips! I have sung almost all of your sorceresses in London, including Melissa in Amadigi di Gaula. Her
true love destroys her: “Ah! spietato!” is a rousing aria that alternates between anguish, venge-
In general, there is so much I’d like to know about you. You were a man of great sensuality and, ance and irony. Or take the cruel magician Alcina, who turns her former lovers into animals.
like all artists, including myself, you liked to eat and drink. How I’d like to have cooked for you
– perhaps a risotto?! What was your favourite food? How often did you fall in love? And did Even the nobility was enthusiastic, with the Earl of Kinnoull praising the “noble entertainment”
you prefer men to women? Unfortunately we know so little about your private life. One thing that you had “lately given the town”. “My Lord,” you replied, “I should be sorry if I only enter-
alone is certain: your close confidant, secretary, copyist and financial adviser Johann Christoph tained them, I wished to make them better.”
Schmidt lived with you. A former fellow student from Halle, he followed you to London, where
he changed his name to John Christopher Smith.
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England became the high point of your career. Here you were king – and became wealthy. You
could even afford to buy a genuine Rembrandt. Even during your lifetime the British built a mon-
ument to you, reluctant to recall that you had once been a German. And then – entirely typical
of you – came a magnificent final chord: a tomb in Westminster Abbey.
You had always wanted to leave the world on a Good Friday, repeatedly expressing the hope that
you might meet your Lord and Saviour on the day of His resurrection. Your wish was almost
granted, for you died on 14 April 1759, the Saturday before Easter Sunday. You were seventy-four.
But your music lives on and will remain with us for ever. Now in the twenty-first century you are
more popular and more relevant than ever.
Your Simone.
Berlin, Summer 2018
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Mein lieber Händel,
W elche Ehrfurcht und Demut empfinde ich für Sie! Ich verneige mich vor Ihrem Genie und
fühle mich mit Ihnen so tief verbunden wie eine Seelenverwandte. Auf geheimnisvolle
Mit 18 Jahren und etwas Taschengeld gingst Du nach Hamburg. Deine erste Oper Almira war
gleich ein großer Erfolg – mit der berühmten »Sarabande«. Aber fast hätte es Dich das Leben
Weise kennen wir uns, und deshalb drücke ich Sie ganz fest an mein Herz, lieber Georg Fried- gekostet: Der liebe »Kollege« Mattheson, als Komponist und Sänger ein Tausendsassa, aber wohl
rich. Dürfte ich wohl daher zum »Du« übergehen? – Ich glaube, Du hättest nichts dagegen… etwas eifersüchtig, forderte Dich zum Duell. Nur Dein Jackenknopf rettete Dich vor der Degen-
spitze! BÜHNENREIF.
Du bist mein Wegbereiter, mein Schutzengel, mein Idol. Mit diesem Album danke ich Dir für
alles, was Du für mich getan hast. Deine Musik eröffnete mir die Welt der Klassik. Deine Arien
begleiten mein Leben und strahlen auf den großen Bühnen dieser Welt.
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Lieber Georg Friedrich,
D u begleitest mein gesamtes Leben, meine Karriere. Was wäre ich wohl heute ohne Dich?
Seit mich Deine Musik ins Herz und in die Seele traf, bin ich beflügelt von Deiner Magie.
Musik war für Dich das Größte und vielleicht auch das Einzige. Selbst Deinem König Georg II.
offenbartest Du: »Ich habe für nichts anderes Zeit als für die Musik!« Ich verstehe Dich zu gut:
Du hast mir auch immer Glück gebracht: Zu meiner Aufnahmeprüfung an der Hochschule für Die größte Liebe ist die Musik, weil man das Göttliche spürt. Sie hat mich immer getröstet und
Musik und Theater in Leipzig wählte ich eine Arie aus Acis and Galatea und wurde prompt als mir Energie gegeben, damit man im Leben den Sinn nicht verliert. Und Du, lieber Händel, warst
Studentin immatrikuliert. Mit Dir kann man nur gewinnen, und mit »Piangerò«, Deiner Arie so oft mit dabei.
der Cleopatra, sogar gleich dreifach: die entscheidende Prüfung zur Solisten-Ausbildung (statt
Chor), den Felix-Mendelssohn-Bartholdy-Preis und das Vorsingen für meine erste Opernrolle:
die Asteria in Tamerlano.
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England wurde für Dich zur Krönung, und du warst König – und reich. Konntest Dir sogar einen
echten Rembrandt leisten. Die Briten bauten Dir schon zu Lebzeiten ein Denkmal und wollten
sich kaum noch daran erinnern, dass Du früher mal ein »German« warst. Und dann typisch für
Dich dieser prachtvolle Schlussakkord: ein Ehrengrab in der Westminster Abbey.
Du hattest Dir immer gewünscht, an einem Karfreitag die Welt zu verlassen: »Ich möchte mit
meinem Herrn und Retter am Tag seiner Auferstehung vereint werden.« Es wurde fast erhört.
Gestorben bist Du am 14. April 1759, einem Karsamstag. Mit 74 Jahren.
Aber Deine Musik lebt und bleibt ewig. Jetzt im 21. Jahrhundert bist Du beliebter und aktueller
als je zuvor.
Deine Simone
Berlin, im Sommer 2018
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R I NA L D O 1 “Furie terribili!”
(Act I) Armida Armida Armida
Furie terribili! Terrifying Furies, Furchtbare Furien,
circondatemi, gather round me, lagert euch um mich her,
seguitatemi follow in my wake gebt mir Geleit
con faci orribili! with your fiery torches! mit euren Schreckensfackeln!
S AU L 0 “Author of peace”
(Act II) Merab 11 Merab
Author of peace, who canst control Friedensbringer, du vermagst
LONG OBA R DI Rodelinda Rodelinda Rodelinda
(Act III) Se ’l mio duol non è sì forte, If my grief is not powerful enough Wenn der Schmerz es nicht vermag,
chi trafigge, oh dio, chi svena to kill me, O god, who will take pity wer, o Gott, tötet und durchbohrt
per pietà questo mio cor? on me and pierce my heart? dann aus Mitleid mein Herz?
Ah, che un duol peggior di morte Ah, for it takes pity, not cruelty, Es von einem Schmerz zu befreien,
involare a un sen che pena to free a soul in torment der schlimmer ist als der Tod,
è pietà, non è rigor. from a grief worse than death. wäre Gnade und keine Strafe.
S AU L 0 “Author of peace”
(Act II) Merab Merab
Author of peace, who canst control Friedensbringer, du vermagst
every passion of the soul; alle Leidenschaften der Seele zu zügeln;
to whose good spirit alone we owe dein guter Geist gibt uns Worte ein,
words that sweet as honey flow: die süßer sind als Honig;
with thy dear influence his tongue be fill’d, beseele seine Rede und verwandle
and cruel wrath to soft persuasion yield. den bittren Zorn in sanfte Überredung.
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un’alma fedel. of having tortured a constant heart. ein treues Herz.
Le vele se darai If you set sail Vertraust du dich je
de’ flutti al seno infido, upon the treacherous seas, dem trügerischen Meer an,
sconvolga orribil vento may a violent gale dann soll ein furchtbarer Wind
l’instabil elemento, whip up the volatile waves das unstete Element aufwühlen
e innanzi al patrio lido and sink your ship, cruel man, und dich vor der Küste der Heimat
sommergati, crudel. before you reach your native shore. hinab in die Tiefe reißen.
T H E T R I U M PH OF T I M E r “Guardian angels”
A N D T RU T H Beauty Schönheit
(Part III) Guardian angels, oh, protect me, Ihr Schutzengel, steht mir bei,
and in Virtue’s path direct me, weist mir den Pfad der Tugend,
while resign’d to Heav’n above. wenn ich mich dem Himmel anvertraue.
Let no more this world deceive me, Verscheucht die Trugbilder dieser Welt,
nor let idle passions grieve me, eitle Leidenschaften quälen mich nicht länger;
strong in faith, in hope, in love. mich stärken Glaube, Hoffnung und Liebe.
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MY HEARTFELT THANKS
to Oliver Spiecker, my friend and poet, for his many inspirations;
to my wonderful orchestra, Amici Veneziani, for their passion and energy;
to Stephan Flock, my recording producer, who, like a friend, is always honest and critical;
to Falk Kulawik, dispatcher and “good-hearted soul” of the Jesus-Christus-Kirche Dahlem, Berlin –
if it was possible, you helped to make it happen;
to the whole team at Sony, who always show me patience and empathy;
to ALL MY FANS AND FRIENDS WHO SUPPORT ME WITH THEIR LOVE,
SINCERITY AND ENERGY. S I MO N E KERMES
A MI C I V EN EZI A N I
DANK VON GANZEM HERZEN Boris Begelman concertmaster
an Oliver Spiecker, meinen Freund und Poeten, für seine vielen Inspirationen; Antonio De Secondi · Luca Ranzato violin I
an mein wunderbares Orchester, Amici Veneziani, für die Leidenschaft und Energie;
an Stephan Flock, meinen Aufnahmeleiter, der wie ein Freund immer ehrlich und kritisch zu mir ist; Lorenzo Colitto · Stefano Bruni · Gabriele Pro violin II
an Falk Kulawik, Disponent und »Gute Seele« der Dahlemer Kirche – Alberto Salomon viola
Du hast möglich gemacht, was möglich war;
an das gesamte Team von Sony, das mir immer Geduld und Empathie entgegenbringt; Giuseppe Mulé cello
an ALLE MEINE FANS UND FREUNDE, DIE MICH MIT LIEBE, Luca Stevanato double bass · Maurizio Fornero cembalo
EHRLICHKEIT UND ENERGIE UNTERSTÜTZEN.
Gianluca Geremia theorbo
Mathias Kiesling traverso
Acknowledgements:
Martin Ripper recorder
For my letter to Handel I gleaned information and Markus Müller oboe I
inspiration from two books: Franz Binder,
Martin Jelev oboe II
Georg Friedrich Händel: Sein Leben und seine Zeit Recording: Berlin, Jesus-Christus-Kirche,
(Munich: dtv, 2009); Michael Heinemann, May 28 – June 1, 2018 Alexander Golde bassoon
Georg Friedrich Händel, 2nd ed. (Reinbek: Rowohlt, 2012) Executive Producer: Tessa Fanelsa Helen Barsby · David Rodeschini trumpets
Recording Producer: Stephan Flock
Quellennachweis: Recording Engineer: Damien Quintard
Für meinen Brief an Händel erhielt ich Informationen Cover Artwork: B61
und Inspirationen aus den Büchern: Franz Binder – Packaging Design: Anja Hoppe Design
Georg Friedrich Händel: Sein Leben und seine Zeit, Editorial & Translations: texthouse
dtv premium, Originalausgabe, Februar 2009; Photos: Sandra Ludewig
Michael Heinemann – Georg Friedrich Händel, Rowohlt Image p. 3 (Handel): AKG Images
Taschenbuch Verlag, Originalausgabe, 2. Auflage, P 2019 Sony Music Entertainment
November 2012 www.simone-kermes.de
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G01000 392099 8 O