Veni, veni, me sequere fida from the oratorio Juditha triumphans, RV 644
by Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741)
Lea Desandre, mezzo-soprano
Jupiter Ensemble
Thomas Dunford, lute and direction
Veni, veni, me sequere fida
Abra amata,
sponso orbata:
turtur gemo ac spiro in te.
Dirae sortis tu socia confida;
debellata
sorte ingrata,
sociam laetae habebis me.
Come, come, follow me, my faithful,
beloved Abra,
bereaved of your husband as I am:
like the turtledove, I moan and sigh to you.
In this dread hour you are my trusted companion;
when we have accomplished
our ugly task,
you will have me as your companion in joy.
CD available from Alpha:
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Various artists’ depictions of the Apocryphal figure Judith:
[0:55] August Riedel (1799-1883)
[1:40] Jacopo Tintoretto (1518-1594)
[2:10] Carlo Francesco Nuvolone (1609-1662)
[2:30] Francesco Solimena (1657-1747)
[3:18] Adam de Coster (circa 1586 -1643)
[4:04] Artemisia Gentileschi (1593-1653)
[4:48] Paolo Veronese (1528-1588)
[5:25] Orazio Gentileschi (1563-1639)