Lascia ch'io pianga (Let me weep - G.F. Handel)

I think music is made of silence as well as sound. The unsung, the unplayed, the sound left to the imagination, are as important as those actually sung and played. This couldn't be truer than in this piece from the opera "Rinaldo" by Handel. Almirena is imprisoned and she sings her despair for her beloved Rinaldo. The pain must be too big and her voice falters, so Handel decides the last beat of the sarabanda rithm be completely silent. The structure of the chords couldn't be simpler: Tonic, Supertonic, Dominant. It is a classic I-II-V combination that is used in millions of songs. Playing this song is, to me, like listening to a fairy tale: I know what is going to come, but I never get tired of listening to it. Knowing what is coming reassures me. A suspension between the chords is like an instant of silence before a reassuring whisper. With little shame I share this piece played on my old out-of-tune piano with quite a few slips of my fingers. Please be nice and imagine this piece as I would have liked it to be....Thanks for listening... The original for voice can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z5WUO7hsgCA