The Triumph of Time and the Trial of Beauty

Orfeus Barock, joined by a stellar cast of vocal soloists, takes to the Main Hall to perform Handel’s Il trionfo del Tempo e del Disinganno (The Triumph of Time and Disillusion). This was Handel’s very first oratorio, composed in 1707 during his time in Italy. The music was commissioned by Cardinal Benedetto Pamphilj, who also wrote the libretto. With its allegorical narrative and richly expressive music – inspired by Italian opera – the work foreshadows Handel’s later and more widely known oratorios, such as Messiah and Saul.

This is one of Handel’s most fascinating early works – a milestone in the Baroque oratorio tradition – exploring timeless themes of life’s transience and spiritual awakening. Beauty (Bellezza) is a young woman tempted by Pleasure (Piacere), while Time (Tempo) and Disillusion (Disinganno) urge her to understand that worldly delights are fleeting, and that true fulfilment lies in wisdom and inner insight.

The music of Il trionfo del Tempo e del Disinganno is filled with vibrant arias and expressive recitatives. It features some of Handel’s most beloved melodies – most famously the aria Lascia la spina, cogli la rosa, which he later reused in his opera Rinaldo as the even more well-known Lascia ch’io pianga.

The soloists are French soprano Emmanuelle de Negri, Swedish mezzo-soprano Ann Hallenberg, Spanish countertenor Carlos Mena, and Swedish tenor Martin Vanberg. Orfeus Barock Stockholm has, in less than a decade, become a dynamic and creative force in Sweden’s early music scene. The ensemble is led here by Spanish conductor and harpsichordist Julio Caballero Pérez.