Händel's "Lost Ship" - Qual nave smarrita | Maikki Säikkä (soprano) & Tuomas Kourula (archlute)

We recorded another ravishing melody by Händel, from his opera Radamisto (HWV 12), and filmed the video in a ravine in remote woods, a quiet retreat, like a rift in the rock, the bright rays of the sun revealing the razor sharp rocks. We unraveled Händel's remarkable work, removed all that could be reduced, until only the rich root of the music remained, resulting in a rendition as raw as reality, fitting readily with the song's image of a raft, reeling in a storm at the rim of the world, hoping to avoid ruin and running into a reef, still wishing to receive salvation, rest and return to a safe harbor, and release from suffering - this request, in the end, remaining unresolved, but not rejected.

Performed by NOI: Maikki Säikkä, soprano, with Tuomas Kourula, archlute.