Com'esser può ch'io viva

A composer of the Italian Renaissance, Teodoro Riccio here offers a secular madrigal for double choir. The text expresses profound grief at the potential loss of a loved one, described as the singer's sun. The poet laments that such sweetness and joy, more precious than paradise, are threatened by a fear of permanent separation. This fear, the poet declares, is more painful than death itself, and so death is called for as a release. The intricate interplay between the SSTTB and SSAAB choirs would lend dramatic weight to this intense emotional plea, making it a compelling choice for a concert programme.