"Where shall I fly?"

I've become a complete Handel fiend...so I'm going to keep going in that direction I think :)

In my meagre 17 years, I've come to realise that Handel must have been psychic. Or a woman. Or both. This may seem like a bit of an odd statement - but he seemed to really know the exact limits of the female voice, had the ability to write to the very boundary, and tiptoe along the line of the voice's capability. This makes for a) some brilliant music to sing and b) a great listening experience. This aria, "Where shall I fly?", from Hercules must be one such boundary-tiptoeing example. Taken from Joyce DiDonato's collection of 'mad scenes', Furore, this aria is quite simply terrifying - especially when you see her amazing crazy acting...

The aria, as the title of DiDonato's CD suggests, constitutes the mad scene, and the denouement, of Handel's musical drama. Hercules' wife, Dejanira, is pretty pissed at the thought of her husband returning home with a rival for his love: Iole, daughter of murdered King Oechalia. However Dejanira thinks she has and ace up her sleeve, and sends Hercules a robe that apparently possesses the power to restore his love for her. Little does she know that it had actually been poisoned by a centaur who was mortally wounded by Hercules. Dejanira is driven mad with grief and regret when she learns of her husband's death - resulting in the exert that I've been having a listen to.

There are so many elements of this aria that just scream 'I'M ABSOLUTELY CRAZY', that it's going to be quite a challenge to just focus on a few. However, the first thing that arrests the listener is the very very busy orchestral accompaniment; it seems to mimic the thoughts that must be running through, and completely suffocating, this woman's mind. It seems to run away from itself, as Dejanira must be desperately trying to run away from the reality of her actions. This is interestingly contrasted by the eerily beautiful interlude, where she asks to be hidden from 'their hated sight' - the complete contrast in mood created by the different styles of expression, perfectly paints Dejanira's madness - as she skips seamlessly from one emotion to its polar opposite. Aristotle, the father has tragedy, has said that the perfect example of this genre must evoke 'fear and pity' in its audience - and this is certainly achieved here, as we travel with Dejanira through fury, grief, fear, and back again.

I was scared watching DiDonato singing this. It's a truly amazing, yet terrifying experience - mainly for the fact that she completely embodies the character. Or maybe she is a little bit crazy; who knows! I love how she slightly lets her voice go - there is what seems like a subtle relaxation in relation to sound production which really allows all emotion to just pour out of her. There is a raw sound to all of it - some parts even verging on cultivated shouting - that just equal perfection for me. I now can't hear anyone else singing it. Plus, she's got the 'Hello, I'm mentally disturbed' anxious rocking down to a T.