Opera Viva presents a selection of arias and instrumental pieces taken from Händel’s operas, from the early Agrippina (1709) to the late Imeneo (1740), including also an example from the mythological oratorio Hercules (1745).

Among the excellent arias that can be listened to is «Svegliatevi nel core» from Giulio Cesare in Egitto, an opera that premiered to great acclaim in February 1724 at the King’s Theatre and is now part of the core of the baroque opera canon. The aria is sung by the young Sesto, son of Pompey and Cornelia, a role originally played by soprano Margherita Durastanti. The two parts of the aria are very contrasting: while in the A part Sesto expresses his desire to avenge his father’s death, which is musically conveyed through the incisive motion of the violins, in the B section he recalls the image of his deceased father, expressed through a slow tempo and the use of flutes, an instrument that had a solemn connotation at the time.