Deh lascia anima homai

This Italian madrigal by Orlando di Lasso, for SATB choir, offers a moment of reflection. The text encourages the soul to abandon vain enterprises and worldly desires that lead to suffering. Instead, it urges a turning towards hope, suggesting that true joy is found by leaving the wrong path and focusing one's thoughts on virtuous aspirations. The music would be most fitting for a contemplative moment, perhaps at the start of a concert program, setting a tone of introspection and spiritual seeking before more lively works.