W.A. MOZART: "Bene, io tutto farò" from Le Nozze di Figaro
W.A. MOZART: "La Vendetta" from Le Nozze di Figaro
(Libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte)
Well, I'll do all I can, without reserve.
Tell me everything.
I'd enjoy giving him my old servant for a wife
For having stolen my intended from me.
Vengeance, oh vengeance
is a pleasure for the wise
Forgetting shames and insults
is a sign of lowness and cowardice
With cunning, with wit
with wisdom, with common sense
It could be done...
The issue is serious
But believe me, it will be done
Even if I had to turn all the codex
Even if I had to read all the index
By using a misunderstanding, by using a synonymous
We will find a tangle
All Seville knows Bartolo
Figaro the rascal will be defeated
CLARA JOSEPHINE SCHUMANN: Three Lieder, op. 12
(Poems by Friederich Rückert)
I. Er ist gekommen
He came
In storm and rain;
Audaciously
He took my heart.
Did he take mine?
Did I take his?
Both drew near to each other.
He came
In storm and rain.
Now spring’s blessing
Has come.
My friend journeys on,
I watch with good cheer,
For he shall be mine wherever he goes.
II. Liebst du um Schönheit
If you love for beauty,
O love not me!
Love the sun,
She has golden hair.
If you love for youth,
O love not me!
Love the spring
Which is young each year.
If you love for riches,
O love not me!
Love the mermaid
Who has many shining pearls.
If you love for love,
Ah yes, love me!
Love me always,
I shall love you ever more.
REYNALDO HAHN DE ECHENAGUCIA: 7 Chansons grises
(Poem by Paul Verlaine)
5. l'Heure exquise
The white moon gleams in the woods;
From every branch there comes a voice
Beneath the boughs… O my beloved.
The pool reflects, deep mirror,
The silhouette of the black willow
Where the wind is weeping...
Let us dream, it is the hour.
A vast and tender Consolation
Seems to fall from the sky
The moon illumines...Exquisite hour.
RUGGERO LEONCAVALLO: Mattinata
The dawn, dressed in white,
has already opened the door to the sun,
and with pink fingers
caresses the myriads with flowers.
A mysterious trembling seems
to disturb all nature,
yet you will not get up, and vainly
I stand here sadly and sing.
Dress yourself, too, in white
and open the door to your serenader!
Where you are not, all is dark,
where you are, love is born!
STEFANO DONAUDY: 36 Arie di Stile Antico
18. "O del mio amato ben"
Oh, lost enchantment of my dearly beloved!
Far from my eyes is he
who was, to me, glory and pride!
Now through the empty rooms
I always seek him and call him
with a heart full of hopes?
But I seek in vain, I call in vain!
And the weeping is so dear to me,
that with weeping alone I nourish my heart.
It seems to me, without him, sad everywhere.
The day seems like night to me;
the fire seems cold to me.
If, however, I sometimes hope
to give myself to another cure,
one thought alone torments me:
But without him, what shall I do?
To me, life seems a vain thing
without my beloved.
FRANZ LEHAR: "Dein ist mein Ganzes Herz" from Das Land des Lächelns
(Libretto by Ludwig Herzer)
You are my heart's delight, and where you are, I long to be
You make my darkness bright, when like a star you shine on me
Shine, then, my whole life through, your life divine bids me hope anew
That dreams of mine may at last come true, and I shall hear you whisper,
"I love you."
In dreams when night is falling I seem to hear you calling
For you have cast a net around me and 'neath a magic spell hath bound me
Yours, yours alone how wondrous fair is your beautiful hair
Bright as a summer sky is the night in your eyes
Soft as a sparkling star is the warmth of my love.
DOMENICO GAETANO MARIA DONIZETTI: "Ah mes amis" from La Fille du Régiment
(Libretto by Jules-Henri Vernoy de Saint-Georges and Jean-François Bayard)
Oui, celle pour qui je respire, a mes vœux a daigné sourire.
Yes, she for whom I live and breathe, has yielded to my pleading.
Et ce doux espoir de bonheur trouble ma raison et mon cœur! Ah!
And this sweet hope of joy and happiness, come dance into my head and my heart.
Pour mon âme, quel destin. J'ai sa flamme, et j'ai sa main.
Destiny has granted me every wish. She gave me her love, and now I have her hand.
Jour prospère, me voici! Militaire et mari!
What a happy day, as you see! I was first a soldier and now a husband-to-be!
