Care selve beate

Bartolomeo de Mutiis's Care selve beate is a secular Italian madrigal for two sopranos. The text paints a vivid picture of longed-for escape to tranquil, shaded natural settings, away from the 'horrors' of solitude. The singer expresses a deep desire to return to these peaceful woods and fields, finding them to be true havens of rest and repose. If fate had allowed a life lived according to their own wishes, the singer would choose the gentle shade of these natural retreats over even the Elysian Fields, the blessed gardens of the gods. This piece would suit a concert programme aiming to evoke pastoral idylls or the Renaissance fascination with the natural world.