Opera Daily

Share this post

Opera Daily šŸŽ¶ — ā€œThe Drinking Songā€

www.youroperadaily.com

Opera Daily šŸŽ¶ — ā€œThe Drinking Songā€

Opera Daily
Aug 4, 2020
10
1
Share this post

Opera Daily šŸŽ¶ — ā€œThe Drinking Songā€

www.youroperadaily.com

Today we’re listening to something lighteršŸ¾šŸ»

ā€œLibiamo ne’lieti caliciā€ (popularly know as ā€œThe Drinking Songā€) is the famous duet with chorus from Act I of the Italian operaĀ La TraviataĀ by Giuseppe Verdi. Sung by Alfredo (Luciano Pavarotti) and Violetta (Joan Sutherland) here when they first meet, it is probably the most famous drinking song in opera (this type of song is also known as a brindisi which is ā€œtoastā€ in Italian).

šŸŽ§ Listen here (3 minute listen):

YouTubeĀ /Ā Apple MusicĀ /Ā Amazon MusicĀ /Ā Spotify

A story of sickness, love, and death,Ā La TraviataĀ (lah-trah-VEE-ah-tuh) follows Violetta, a young courtesan who is sick with tuberculosis, as she falls in love with Alfredo. While she struggles with the fact that she is dying, she falls for him and they leave the city to live together in the French countryside. Alfredo’s father who does not approve of their relationship, comes and guilts Violetta (vee-oh-LET-tah) into leaving Alfredo and returning to her old life. Thinking she has betrayed him, Alfredo is heartbroken. A few months later, Violetta is close to death and Alfredo, who has learned why Violetta left him, goes to her. They vow to be together forever, but she soon collapses and dies in his arms.

Just joined? Check out the archives!

Conversation starters

  • La Traviata was the most performed opera worldwide during the 2015/16 season with a total of 4,190 performances across 869 separate productions.

  • While the events take place in and around Paris during the 1840s, La Traviata’s plot has been repurposed in movies like Pretty Woman and Moulin Rouge. Music from this opera can also be heard in The Godfather and In the Line of Fire.

  • Joan Sutherland was an Australian (dramaticĀ coloratura) sopranoĀ known for her contribution to theĀ bel cantoĀ repertoire from the late 1950s through to the 1980s. Bel cantoĀ literally translates to ā€œbeautiful singing,ā€ and it was a popular singing style in Italian opera from the mid-18th to early 19th centuries.Ā If you want to hear more from Joan, I recommend this.

Thank you for listening,

Michele

1
Share this post

Opera Daily šŸŽ¶ — ā€œThe Drinking Songā€

www.youroperadaily.com
1 Comment
Mandy
Writes Mandy’s Newsletter
Aug 5, 2020Liked by Opera Daily

This one of the most famous pieces as you so pointed out. It is light, fun and high spirited. I am really enjoying and learning a great deal more about these operatic pieces . Looking forward to many more.

Expand full comment
Reply
TopNewCommunity

No posts

Ready for more?

Ā© 2023 Opera Daily
Privacy āˆ™ Terms āˆ™ Collection notice
Start WritingGet the app
SubstackĀ is the home for great writing