Era l'anima mia

The soul of the poet, near its end, languishes as if dying. But when a beautiful and welcome soul turns its gaze in pity, the poet is kept alive. Those bright eyes seem to ask, 'Why do you consume yourself?' The text expresses a profound devotion, where the speaker's own heart is less dear than the beloved. If one dies, the other implores, 'Oh me, you do not die, I die.' Enrico Radesca's setting for two voices, soprano and bass, captures this tender, dramatic moment with the intimacy and expressive freedom typical of Italian secular madrigals.