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About this Piece

“Agitata da due venti,” from Adelaide / Griselda (Verona/Venice, 1735). In opera seria, it was common for an aria from one opera to be re-used in another, especially if a singer made a “hit” with it. That was the situation with “Agitata da due venti” in Adelaide’s premiere. Singer Margherita Giacomazzi was impressive in her role as Matilde, which included this very florid aria. Later the same year she played Costanza in Vivaldi’s Venice production of Griselda, and the composer inserted the aria for her — again with great success. In Griselda, *…the gentle Costanza… is caught between emotions like a sailor between opposing winds. Vivaldi rises above the cliché of the metaphor to bring to life the dilemma faced by Costanza, conveying her distraction by means of a dizzying vocal line.*