Concert Aria „Ah! perfido“ for Soprano and Orchestra, Op. 65

LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN composed the magnificent concert aria “Ah! perfido”, Op. 65, in early 1796 during his concert tour in Prague. He wrote it for the celebrated soprano Josefa Dušek, for whom Mozart had already composed two concert arias. Beethoven crafted an exceptionally demanding vocal line, tailored to her flexible voice and remarkable range. The work opens with a recitative (its text drawn from Metastasio’s Achille in Sciro), in which Deidamia, abandoned by her beloved, calls upon the gods in fury to punish the traitor—only to repent moments later and plead for his mercy. The aria that follows (its author unknown) reveals the full turbulence of her inner emotions. The premiere took place on 21 November 1796 in Leipzig, where Josefa Dušek delivered a brilliant performance.