Il trionfo del tempo e del disinganno

In Handels oratorio Il trionfo del tempo e del disinganno 1707 the desire to live is at odds with the realisation of ones own mortality In his early masterpiece the composer was able to open up clear emotional spaces to the simultaneity of the incompatible What does it mean to be alive and what does it mean to demand to be fulfilled with this life And who am I when the mirror only gazes at me in silence In Handels music the questions begin to float