IL GIARDINO ARMONICO

Il trionfo del Tempo e del Disinganno

Il Giardino Armonico, one of Europe’s most admired Baroque ensembles, finally arrives at Les Arts under the direction of Giovanni Antonini to perform a youthful Händel work: Il trionfo del Tempo e del Disinganno, written during his years in Rome. The oratorio pits four characters —Beauty, Pleasure, Time and Disillusion— against one another in a debate as timeless as it is contemporary: appearances versus truth. Beauty must choose between the illusions offered by Pleasure and the harsher reality proposed by Time and Disillusion. The music portrays this inner conflict with astonishing energy for such a young composer: captivating rhythms, unexpected dramatic turns and moments of striking beauty, such as the aria “Lascia la spina,” which later became the seed of “Lascia ch'io pianga” in Rinaldo.