About the Program
Handel’s “Aminta e Fillide,” featuring soprano Nola Richardson and mezzo-soprano Xenia Puskarz Thomas
Rachell Ellen Wong and David Belkovski return to Tucson, this time with the full band of Twelfth Night and singers Nola Richardson and Xenia Puskarz Thomas, to perform Handel’s 1708 secular cantata Aminta e Fillide. Set in the hills and flower-spotted fields of mythical Arcadia, the cantata tells the story of Aminta, a brash, young shepherd, who is hopelessly in love with the nymph Fillide, whose extraordinary beauty is matched by the hardness of her heart.
“Thomas’s uncommonly dark, creamy mezzo was able to give her opulent voice free rein… projecting a thought behind each ornament…”—Opera News
“Nola Richardson was totally delightful, displaying nimble coloratura and a light voice of penetrating beauty.”—South Florida Classical Review
About Ensemble Twelfth Night
Based in NYC, Twelfth Night is an ensemble of historical performance specialists led by violinist Rachell Ellen Wong and keyboardist David Belkovski that is united by the firm belief that art is best explored as a meeting place of the past, present, and future.
