MOZART "Per questa bella mano," K. 612

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart "Per questa bella mano," K. 612 Adam Kiss, bass Gabriel Polinsky, double bass Danielle Orlando, piano Written in 1791—the last year of Mozart’s life—“Per questa bella mano” belongs to the genre of concert aria: an aria intended for stand-alone concert performance that was sometimes extracted from an opera, but sometimes—as in this case—written independently. The song calls for a bass voice accompanied by a small orchestra composed of a flute, two oboes, two French horns, and strings. “Per questa bella mano” is notable for its obbligato part for double bass, and is known among bass players as something of a technical showpiece for that instrument. The text is a declaration of love whose authorship is unknown; its opening stanza reads “By this fair hand, / by these lovely eyes, / I swear, my dearest, that never / will I love anyone but you.” Performed Monday November 6, 2017 in Field Concert Hall, Philadelphia, PA https://www.curtis.edu