Good morning, friends! If you missed any of the previous pieces (this turned out to be Tosca month!), you can catch up here: "E lucevan le stelle" "Qual occhio al mundo" (The Love Duet) Tosca is pretty much the perfect opera and one of the most accessible ones for those new to opera. It’s about obsession, sex, murder, suicide—all of them! Cavaradossi (a painter) and Tosca (a soprano) are falling for each other. Every so often, the two of them go for a weekend together at Cavaradossi’s villa outside of Rome. Meanwhile, Scarpia, the police chief, has also fallen for Tosca. Scarpia arrests Cavaradossi and offers Tosca a trade — her sexual favors for her lover’s life — but Tosca manages to kill Scarpia before that happens.
Opera Daily knows what they're talking about! (I said "they" because I don't know if "Michele" is masculine or feminine.) I once took a course by a well-known opera expert at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, Florida, on great opera singers. He taught that the best opera singers could not only stand and sing the arias, they could also show the emotions of the characters they were singing. The best examples: Maria Callas and Placido Domingo. In the Opera Daily wording, "Callas IS Tosca!" The professor proved his point by showing Callas singing the exact aria that Opera Daily provided today. Outstanding choice, Opera News. Brava to Callas!
Tosca's "Vissi d'arte" has officially knocked Norma's "Casta Diva" off the pedestal as my favorite soprano aria. I can't say yet who, among our five divas, is my favorite. That will require more listens and seeing the last two full operas (and perhaps more).
Choosing favorite singers, male or female, is like trying to decide which is your favorite wine - some are sweet, some are dry, some are a little tart, some sparkle like champagne. If you know enough about different wines, choosing a favorite just might depend on your experience and your mood. Today I felt that Shirley Verrett's rendition of "Vissi d'arte" hit the right notes. To have seen her and Luciano Pavarotti in rehearsal, and then perform "Tosca" at The Met (1978) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vog5qEClTT), really lifted my spirits. She was so beautiful, so expressive and they seemed to bring out the best in each other.
I also realized today that "Vissi d'arte" is not a love song, but a profoundly sad lamentation. I felt the full weight of Floria Tosca's anguish, loss of faith, despair, disillusionment and self-pity. To hear this aria, during the seasons of Passover and Easter, heightened its meaning for me. Who among us has not asked of God or human: Why have you forsaken me? What have I done to deserve this?
At any rate, here are the Italian lyrics I stumbled across, for anyone who likes karaoke opera.
Opera Daily 🎶 — "Vissi d'arte" from Tosca
Opera Daily knows what they're talking about! (I said "they" because I don't know if "Michele" is masculine or feminine.) I once took a course by a well-known opera expert at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, Florida, on great opera singers. He taught that the best opera singers could not only stand and sing the arias, they could also show the emotions of the characters they were singing. The best examples: Maria Callas and Placido Domingo. In the Opera Daily wording, "Callas IS Tosca!" The professor proved his point by showing Callas singing the exact aria that Opera Daily provided today. Outstanding choice, Opera News. Brava to Callas!
Tosca's "Vissi d'arte" has officially knocked Norma's "Casta Diva" off the pedestal as my favorite soprano aria. I can't say yet who, among our five divas, is my favorite. That will require more listens and seeing the last two full operas (and perhaps more).
Choosing favorite singers, male or female, is like trying to decide which is your favorite wine - some are sweet, some are dry, some are a little tart, some sparkle like champagne. If you know enough about different wines, choosing a favorite just might depend on your experience and your mood. Today I felt that Shirley Verrett's rendition of "Vissi d'arte" hit the right notes. To have seen her and Luciano Pavarotti in rehearsal, and then perform "Tosca" at The Met (1978) (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vog5qEClTT), really lifted my spirits. She was so beautiful, so expressive and they seemed to bring out the best in each other.
I also realized today that "Vissi d'arte" is not a love song, but a profoundly sad lamentation. I felt the full weight of Floria Tosca's anguish, loss of faith, despair, disillusionment and self-pity. To hear this aria, during the seasons of Passover and Easter, heightened its meaning for me. Who among us has not asked of God or human: Why have you forsaken me? What have I done to deserve this?
At any rate, here are the Italian lyrics I stumbled across, for anyone who likes karaoke opera.
Vissi d'arte, vissi d'amore,
non feci mai male ad anima viva!
Con man furtiva
quante miserie conobbi, aiutai.
Sempre con fe' sincera,
la mia preghiera
ai santi tabernacoli salì.
Sempre con fe' sincera
diedi fiori agli altar.
Nell'ora del dolore
perché, perché Signore,
perché me ne rimuneri così?
Diedi gioielli
della Madonna al manto,
e diedi il canto
agli astri, al ciel, che ne ridean più belli.
Nell'ora del dolore,
perché, perché Signore,
perché me ne rimuneri così?