''Vide cor meum'' (See my heart) is an aria composed by Irish composer Patrick Cassidy based on

Dante Alighieri Dante Alighieri (; – 14 September 1321), probably baptized Durante di Alighiero degli Alighieri and often referred to as Dante (, ), was an Italian poet, writer and philosopher. His ''Divine Comedy'', originally called (modern Italian: '' ...

's '' Vita Nova'', specifically on the

sonnet A sonnet is a poetic form that originated in the poetry composed at the Court of the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II in the Sicilian city of Palermo. The 13th-century poet and notary Giacomo da Lentini is credited with the sonnet's invention, ...

''A ciascun'alma presa'', third chapter.

Composition

The song was performed by Libera / The Lyndhurst Orchestra, conducted by

Gavin Greenaway Gavin Greenaway (born 15 June 1964) is an English music composer and conductor. He is the son of Roger Greenaway. Early life and career Educated at Strode's College and Trinity College of Music, Greenaway started working with his father bef ...

. The main voices belong to

Danielle de Niese Danielle de Niese (born 11 April 1979) is an Australian-American lyric soprano. After success as a young child in singing competitions in Australia, she moved to the United States where she developed an operatic career. From 2005 she came to wi ...

and Bruno Lazzaretti who sing some fragments taken from ''Vita Nova'', supposedly assembled with no grammatical or syntactic sequence. The result of this technique is in fact a heterogeneous but harmonic composition; its lyrics allow the audience to be participant of an extraordinary event—an inner dream and unearthly dialog, to which Dante Alighieri (in Florentin dialect) and God (in Latin) take part; Amore, Beatrice and Dante's heart are the main topic. So the linguistic "nonsense" becomes pure illusion.

Productions

The song first appeared in the movie ''

Hannibal Hannibal (; xpu, 𐤇𐤍𐤁𐤏𐤋, ''Ḥannibaʿl''; 247 – between 183 and 181 BC) was a Carthaginian general and statesman who commanded the forces of Carthage in their battle against the Roman Republic during the Second Puni ...

'' (2001), while

Dr. Hannibal Lecter Dr. Hannibal Lecter is a Character (arts), fictional character created by the novelist Thomas Harris. Lecter is a serial killer who Human cannibalism, eats his victims. Before his capture, he was a respected Forensic psychiatry, forensic psychi ...

and Italian Inspector Pazzi see an outdoor opera in

Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico an ...

, and was specially composed for the movie. This aria was chosen to be performed at the 73rd

Oscars The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

in 2001 during the presentation of the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial award to producer

Dino De Laurentiis Agostino "Dino" De Laurentiis (; 8 August 1919 – 10 November 2010) was an Italian-American film producer. Along with Carlo Ponti, he was one of the producers who brought Italian cinema to the international scene at the end of World War II. He ...

and at the 53rd Annual

Emmy awards The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

. It was also used in

Ridley Scott Sir Ridley Scott (born 30 November 1937) is a British film director and producer. Directing, among others, science fiction films, his work is known for its atmospheric and highly concentrated visual style. Scott has received many accolades thr ...

's ''

Kingdom of Heaven Kingdom of Heaven may refer to: Religious * Kingdom of Heaven (Gospel of Matthew) **Kingship and kingdom of God, or simply Kingdom of God, the phrase used in the other gospels * Kingdom of Heaven (Daviesite), a schismatic sect, founded by Will ...

'' (2005), during King Baldwin IV's death scene and following funeral. As an homage to the films, the score was used in the final scene of the first and second season finales of NBC's ''

''.

Releases

Patrick Cassidy's Vide Cor Meum (20th Anniversary Edition)in 2020 - Single by

London Symphony Orchestra The London Symphony Orchestra (LSO) is a British symphony orchestra based in London. Founded in 1904, the LSO is the oldest of London's orchestras, symphony orchestras. The LSO was created by a group of players who left Henry Wood's Queen's ...

London Voices London Voices is a London-based choral ensemble founded by Terry Edwards (1939-2022) in 1973. In its early years, it also incorporated the London Opera Chorus and London Sinfonietta Voices and Chorus. In 2004, Ben Parry, became co-director of the ...

Ben Parry Ben Parry is a retired American soccer Defender (association football), defender who played professionally in the USISL. Youth In 1993, Parry graduated from North Stanly High School where he was an All State soccer player. He attended UNC Cha ...

Vivica Genaux Vivica Genaux (; born July 10, 1969) is an American coloratura mezzo-soprano. She was born in Fairbanks, Alaska. She has sung in major operas such as ''The Barber of Seville'' at the Metropolitan Opera, ''L'italiana in Algeri'' at Opéra National ...

& Matthew Long by Supertrain Records Welsh mezzo-soprano

Katherine Jenkins Katherine Maria Jenkins (born 29 June 1980) is a Welsh singer. She is a mezzo-soprano and performs operatic arias, popular songs, musical theatre, and hymns.Rhys Meirion Rhys Meirion is a Welsh opera and classical tenor singer. He was born on 24 February 1966 in Blaenau Ffestiniog, Gwynedd. He joined the English National Opera in 1999 and became a company principal from 2001 to 2004. He has also sung leading r ...

British vocal group

Blake Blake is a surname which originated from Old English. Its derivation is uncertain; it could come from "blac", a nickname for someone who had dark hair or skin, or from "blaac", a nickname for someone with pale hair or skin. Another theory, presuma ...

recorded Vide Cor Meum on their first album Blake (2007) with the

London Philharmonic Orchestra The London Philharmonic Orchestra (LPO) is one of five permanent symphony orchestras based in London. It was founded by the conductors Sir Thomas Beecham and Malcolm Sargent in 1932 as a rival to the existing London Symphony and BBC Symphony ...

English soprano

Sarah Brightman Sarah Brightman (born 14 August 1960) is an English classical crossover soprano singer, actress and dancer. Brightman began her career as a member of the dance troupe Hot Gossip and released several disco singles as a solo performer. In 1981, ...

recorded Vide Cor Meum for her World Tour Limited Edition bonus track her Hymn (album).

Lyrics

E pensando di lei ''(Florentin dialect)'' Mi sopragiunse un soave sonno Ego dominus tuus ''(Latin)'' Vide cor tuum E d'esto cuore ardendo ''(Florentin dialect)'' Cor tuum ''(Latin)'' (Lei paventosa)''(Florentin dialect)'' Umilmente pascea ''(Florentin dialect)'' Appresso gir lo ne vedea piangendo La letizia si convertia in amarissimo pianto Io sono in pace Cor meum ''(Latin)'' Io sono in pace ''(Florentin dialect)'' Vide cor meum (Latin) While thinking of her ''(Beatrice)'' A sweet sleep came over me I am your master Here is your heart And on this burning heart Your heart (she fearful) (she) obediently fed Then I saw him (Amore) leaving in tears Joy became bitterest lament I am in peace My heart I am in peace See my heart

References

External links

References to Dante in the movie ''Hannibal''
archived from greatdante.net {{Authority control Film soundtracks Musical settings of poems by Dante Alighieri Arias in Italian Latin-language songs Works based on La Vita Nuova