7. DIE IHR AUS DUNKELN GRÜFTEN

The seventh of the German arias, performed by Chalium Poppy, musical director and basso continuo, Urszula Kint, violin, and Friederike André, soprano. The nine German arias were the last thing Händel set to music in his native German language. He chose the poems from a large collection named "Earthly delight in God" by Heinrich Brockes, a well-known poet he had been to university with during his time in Hamburg. These poems praise God through images of nature and Händel uses very fine musical means to describe these pictures in musical terms as well. Text: Die ihr aus dunkeln Grüften den eitlen Mammon grabt, seht, was ihr hier in Lüften für reiche Schätze habt! Sprecht nicht, es ist nur Farb' und Schein, man zählt und schließt es nicht im Kasten ein! Translation: You who are digging up the vain mammon from dark caves, see which rich treasures you find up here in the air! Don't say, it is only colour and appearance, you can't count it, neither lock it into boxes!