Nouvelle publication de la chaîne YouTube de Carnets sur sol

This famous aria (an arioso in a light larghetto, and not a solemn largo as it is often said and played...) opens the comic opera Serse by Haendel. The Persian emperor Xerxès Ier is pompously praising his plane tree because of his kind shadow.

I propose here a rare French version (was it recorded before in this translation ?), with a reduced score found in the collection of a late accompanist in Bordeaux - playing in the beginning of the twelfth century. The text is quite close to the Italian one, I only give this to see the knew colour due to switching languages - I think it is quite pleasing in this case.

XERXES
[recitative]
Branche fière, bras d'ombre - ô forêt solitaire ! Vers toi mon coeur s'empresse. La tempête et la foudre ont lassé sur ton front leurs rages vaines. Que ton asile antique soit mon refuge.
[arioso]
Bois de lent oubli où meurt la peine,
Penche ton ombre sur mon souci ;
Bois de frais repos, en tes murmures
Chante à mon âme ton chant de paix.

And the original version :

You can hear here an Italian version in public domain : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9LiyM3ZwxA . (Kathleen Ferrier, with very largo tempo.)

SERSE
[recitativo secco]
Frondi tenere e belle
del mio platano amato,
per voi risplenda il fato.
Tuoni, lampi, e procelle
non v'oltraggino mai la cara pace,
né giunga a profanarvi
austro rapace.
[arioso]
Ombra mai fu
di vegetabile
cara ed amabile,
soave più.

Disclaimer : Amateur recording (interpretation and sound). Moreover, I am playing and singing at the same time (al roles), which is not very helpful to do this correctly. It does not pretend to be an honest version of the score : it is only made to give some idea of rare repertoire. Not to propose a reference.