Dubbio affetto il cor mi strugge

This cantata, from an important manuscript in Berlin containing 18 Albinoni cantatas for soprano and continuo, is on the ever-popular subject of a timid lover who, in the course of three arias and two recitatives, eventually plucks up the courage to declare his love openly. His progress from confusion via self-pity to a growing confidence is charted in the well-contrasted arias, which show Albinoni's lyrical gift at its best.