Strauss: Allersellen, Zueignung, and Morgen
RichardStrausswasalate17thCenturyGermancomposerwhoseworkswerebestknownforhis useoftonepoemsandopera. Forthisset,eachpiece(inlistedorder)readsapoemthat discussestheveryconceptoflove. Allersellen presentsamessageinwhichwemustrevisitthe happytimesthatwespendtogetherandrememberhowmuchyoumeantosomepeople. Zueignung discusseshowmuchyourheartcanachewhenyouarefarawayfromthosethatyou enjoyspendingtimewith. Finally, Morgen wrapsupthesetbystatingthateventhoughyoumay beapartfromthosethataregone,hopefullyyouwillonedayseethemagain. Idecidedto organizethisringofpiecesfirstinmyrecitaltoacknowledgethecareandsupportIhave receivedfrommanymembersofmyfamilywhohavesadlypassedonduringmytimeat Carthage,specificallymygrandparents. Theyalwaysencouragedmetobethe“BestBrianIcan be”,longaftertheyweregone. Withthissetofpieces,IwishtosaythatIlovedthemdearlyand IhopethatsomedayIwillbeabletoseethemagain,wheneverthatmaybe.
Dowland:
Come Again, Sweet Love;Warlock: As Ever I Saw;Quilter: Fair House of Joy
Thissetofpiecesarecomposedby17thand19thCenturycomposersinwhichthelyricsare anonymouslywritten,whetherbyintentionorifthatinformationhasbeenlosttotime. They consistoflovepoemsandexpressionsofloveineachcomposition. Idecidedtoincludeeachof thesepiecesinmyprogramasan“anonymous”setinordertorecognizethatthereissomevalue behindtheartthatpeoplemayincludeinamusicalwork,muchlikehowprofessorsand individualshaveseenvalueinmeandtheworkthatIcontributetomusic. Whetherit’snewly discoveredorreinforced,itisimportanttocontinuetorecognizethatanyworkthatanindividual maydoshouldbeappreciatedfortheircontributionandservice. Thereisameaningbehind everythingwedo!
Donizetti:Bellasicomeunangelo (Don Pasquale)
ThispieceinDonizetti’s, Don Pasquale,highlightsthecharacterMalatestaandhisdesiretolure DonPasqualeintoatrapandexposehimasthedisgustingmanthattakesadvantageofwomen. ItisMalatesta’sjobtoconvinceDonPasqualetoattemptserenadinghissisterbydescribingall thewonderfulthingsabouther. She’sinnocent,kind,simple-minded,whywouldyounotwant toloveher? However,sheisquitetheopposite,intendingtocalloutDonPasqualeonhisvile behavior. Thispieceisincludedinmyprogramasapartofthe“opera”set. Specifically,Iam tryingtosellmyactingchopsandpresentmyselfastheshowmanthatIamdescribedtobe,such ashowMalatestaistryingtoshowoffhissistertoDonPasquale.
Thomas:Ôvin,dissipelatristesse (Hamlet)
ThedrinkingsonginThomas’s Hamlet,almostwildinitsexuberance,hastheprincepraisingthe gloriesofwinewiththehopethatitwillridhimofsadness.Thesongisinfectiousinitslively refrain,andisgracedbyafloridcadenzabeforetherepeat. Thisoperaariapresentsanewaspect inmycharacterinhowIwouldalwayswishtodrownmysorrowsinmoresatisfactorythings, suchasplayinggames,singingandgenerallyhangingoutwithfriends. Schoollifehasbeen difficultandbusyinmanyways,sothispiecesomewhatreflectsmyanxietythatIhavecome acrossattimesduringmymusicaljourney. Withsuchadynamicandinterestingaria,itis importanttoshowthatIcanbeavarietyofdifferentcharacters,butstillthesameperson!
Rossini:LargoalFactotum (The Barber of Seville)
Rossini’s The Barber of Seville holdsthispieceasoneofthemosticonicandrecognizablearias inallofopera,evensomuchtothepointwherethosewhoarenotsoeducatedinoperatic performancecanrecognizeitswildrideofcadentialpatternsandfastmovement. Themain character,Figaro,wakesupinthedawnofmorningreadytoembracethedayandalltheactivity thatgetsthrownathim. Everyonewantstoseehim,includingkids,oldmaids,townsfolk, priests,friendsandacquaintances. He’soverwhelmedbythepressureofthosewholookupto him,buthecouldn’tenjoyhislifeanymorethanhedoesrightthen! Thispieceismostlylikely thebiggeststatementofmycareerhereatCarthagecollege. I’vehadsomuchpressureputon meineveryactivitythatIdo,includingmathematics,vocalperformance,philharmonic orchestra,Esports,familyandwork! Itfeelstoomuchsometimes! Butwithallthisopportunity andappreciationknockingatmydoor,Icouldn’tbehappierthanwhatI’mbeingpresentedwith! Iwillpushthroughforthosewholookuptome,muchlikehowIwillneedtopushmystamina forthispiecesinceitisthelongestandmostchallengingworkIhaveevercomeacrossasasolo performance.
Copland:Laurie’sSong (The Tender Land)
AaronCoplandisanearly20thCenturycomposerwhoarrangedthispiecefortheOpera, The Tender Land. Thisariastarsthemaincharacter,Laurie,andherworrieswithgraduatingfrom highschool. Whilesheisnervousaboutmovingawayfromherhomeandstartinghernewlife, sheisalsoexcitedaboutthenewopportunitiesthatshecanfindforherself. Idecidedtoinclude thisoperaariainmyfinalsetof“reflexive”piecestoexpressmypersonalfeelingsabout graduatingCarthagereallysoon. IhavelivedinRacineandKenoshahereinWisconsinformy wholelife,butthatwillneedtochangerealsoonasIplantoeventuallymoveontograduate
schoolandsearchforanofficialcareer-startingopportunity. Whiletherearetoughchallenges thatIwillneedtoface,Iwillacceptthemwhole-heartedlyandcontinuegrowingasImove forward. Steppingoutofmycomfortzoneisnoeasyfeat,suchashowI’msingingthispiece whichisnormallymeanttobesungbyasoprano. ButI’mgoingtodoit,nonetheless!
Legrand: How do you keep the music playing?
Legrandcomposedthispieceasalate20thCenturysongforthe1982film Best Friends. This pieceisbasedontouchingtheemotionalheartstrings,andthisoneisthebestatit. Thefirst versetalksaboutkeepingthelovegoingandstoppingitfromfadingtoofast. Ittalksabouthow, whenyouareinlove,youseemtoenvelopinit,andyouseemtolosetheindividualityforthe pairing.Andalsoaskshowthiscanhappenandhowyoucanbeinlovewithoutlosingyour identityentirely Thesongalsodiscusseshowyoucankeepthelovegoingyearafteryear withoutbeingafraidofthingsfallingapart. Howcanfriendskeepthelovegoingforever,in essence,tokeepthemusicplayingonandontilltheendoftime? Nevertheless,IknowthatI willalwaysappreciatethetimeinwhichIhavespentworkingonmusicwithallmywonderful colleagues,andthattheywillalwaysholdaspecialplaceinmyheart. ThemusicWILLkeep going,evenifIhavetosteeroffintoadifferentdirection. Withthispiece,14ofmycolleagues fromtheCarthageChoirandLincolnChamberswilljointheacapellaforthispiece,remindingus thatwewillalwaysbetogether,evenwhenweareapart.
François: My Way
Famouslysungbyworld-renownedpopsingerandvocalist,FrankSinatra, My Way isasongthat talksaboutovercomingachallengeandcomingtotermswithyouraccomplishments. AsIhave cometolearnthatI’vestruggledmanytimeshereatCarthage,Ithoughtthissongwouldbe perfecttoendmyrecitaltoremindnotonlyotherstudents,butpeopleingeneralthatthe challengesyoufacearenevergoingtobeabletokeepyoudownentirely. Infact,thewayin whichyouwillovercomeyourproblemswillbedoneinYOURway,alone. Everyoneisunique andwillcarvethepathoftheirlifethemselves. WhileIhavetakenlotsofdirectionsfromothers, Ifigureditwasabouttimeformetostartbuildinganevenbiggerlegacyformyself. AndmayI say,itwillbedoneMYway. Mom,thisone'sforyou!
Translations:
StellaufdenTischdieduftendenReseden,
Put on the table the fragrant mignonettes, DieletztenrotenAsterntragherbei, carry the last red asters here,
UndlaßunswiedervonderLiebereden,
and let us again talk of love WieeinstimMai like once in May
GibmirdieHand,daßichsieheimlichdrücke, Give me your hand, that I may secretly press it, Undwennman’ssieht,miristeseinerlei, and if anyone sees it, it makes no difference to me, GibmirnureinendeinersüßenBlicke, give me only one of your sweet glances WieeinstimMai like once in May
EsblühtundduftetheutaufjedemGrabe, Today it blossoms and smells sweet on each grave EinTagimJahristjadenTotenfrei, one day in the year indeed the dead are free KommammeinHerz,daßichdichwiederhabe, come to my heart, that I have you again, WieeinstimMai like once in May
Ja,duweißtes,teureSeele,
Yes, dear soul, you know Daßichfernvondirmichquäle, That I’m in torment far from you, LiebemachtdieHerzenkrank, Love makes hearts sick –HabeDank. Thanks to God
Einsthieltich,derFreiheitZecher, Once, reveling in freedom, HochdenAmethysten-Becher, I held the amethyst cup aloft, UnddusegnetestdenTrank, And you blessed that draught –HabeDank. Thanks to God
UndbeschworstdarindieBösen, And you banished the evil spirits, Bisich,wasichniegewesen, Till I, as never before, Heilig,heiligan’sHerzdirsank, Holy, sank holy upon your heart –HabeDank! Thanks to God!
“Morgen”
And tomorrow the sun will shine again UndaufdemWege,denichgehenwerde, And on the path that I shall take, Wirduns,dieGlücklichen,siewiedereinen It will unite us, happy ones, again, InmittendiesersonnenatmendenErde Amid this same sun-breathing earth UndzudemStrand,demweiten,wogenblauen,
UndmorgenwirddieSonnewiederscheinen
And to the shore, broad, blue-waved, Werdenwirstillundlangsamniedersteigen, We shall quietly and slowly descend, StummwerdenwirunsindieAugenschauen, Speechless we shall gaze into each other’s eyes, UndaufunssinktdesGlückesstummesSchweigen And the speechless silence of bliss shall fall on us
Bellasicomeunangelo(DonPasquale)
Bellasiccomeunangelo Beautiful as an angel interrapellegrino, in pilgrim land, frescasiccomeilgiglio fresh as the lily ches'apresulmattino, that opens in the morning, occhiocheparlaeride, eye that speaks and laughs, sguardocheicorconquide, look that the cores conquer, chiomachevincel'ebano, crown that wins the ebony,
“Zueignung”
sorrisoincantator smile incantator
Almainnocente,ingenua, Innocent, naive, chesèmedesmaignora; that he himself ignores; modestiaimpareggiabile, unparalleled modesty, bontàchev'innamora goodness that falls in love with you
Aimiseripietosa, To the pitiful pitiful, gentil,dolce,amorosa, gentle, sweet, loving, ilcell'hafattanascere the cel gave birth to it perfarbeatouncor to make a heart happy
Ôvin,dissipelatristesse
Oh, wine, dispel the sadness, Quipèsesurmoncœur! that weighs on my heart!
Amoilesrêvesdel'ivresse Bring me intoxicated dreams
Etleriremoqueur! and sardonic laughter
Ôliqueurenchanteresse, Oh, enchanting liquor, Versel'ivresse spread wild abandon Etl'oublidansmoncœur! and forgetfulness in my heart!
Douceliqueur! Gentle liquor!
Verse-nousl'ivresse! Give us wild abandon!
Lavieestsombre, Life is gloomy, Lesanssoncourts; our years are short; Denosbeauxjours How long we’ll live, Dieusaitlenombre. God alone knows the answer. Chacun,hélas!porteici-bas Alas, each of us bears Salourdechaîne! the weight of our chains!
Cruelsdevoirs, Cruel duties, Longsdésespoirs lengthy despairs
Del'âmehumaine! of the human soul!
Loindenous, Go away, Noirsprésages!Etc. dark forebodings!
Lesplussages The most wise ones
Sontlesfous!...Ah! are the fools…Ah!
Largoalfactotum(TheBarberofSeville)
Largoalfactotumdellacitta Handyman of the city
Prestoabottegachel'albaegia Early in the workshop I arrive at dawn Ah,chebelvivere,chebelpiacere Ah, what a life, what a pleasure perunbarbierediqualita! For a barber of quality!
Ah,bravoFigaro! Ah, bravo Figaro! Bravo,bravissimo! Bravo, very good!
Ôvin,dissipelatristesse (Hamlet)Fortunatissimoperverita! I am the luckiest, it's the truth!
Prontoafartutto, Ready for anything, lanotteeilgiorno night and day sempred'intornoingirosta I'm always on the move Migliorcuccagnaperunbarbiere, Cushier fate for a barber, vitapiunobile,no,nonsida A more noble life cannot be found
Rasoriepettini Razors and combs lancetteeforbici, Lancets and scissors, almiocomando at my command tuttoquista everything is here
V'elarisorsa, Here are the extra tools poi,demestiere then, for business colladonnetta colcavaliere With the ladies with the gentlemen
Tuttimichiedono,tuttimivogliono,
Everyone asks me, everyone wants me, donne,ragazzi,vecchi,fanciulle: women, children, old people, young ones: Qualaparruca Prestolabarba Here are the wigs A quick shave of the beard
Qualasanguigna Here are the leeches for bleeding
Prestoilbiglietto The note
Qualaparruca,prestolabarba, Here are the wigs, a quick shave soon, Prestoilbiglietto,ehi! The note, hey!
Figaro!Figaro!Figaro!,ecc Figaro! Figaro! Figaro!, Etc
Ahime,chefuria! Alas, what frenzy!
Ahime,chefolla! Alas, what a crowd! Unoallavolta,percarita! One at a time, for goodness sake!
Figaro!Sonqua Figaro! I'm here
Ehi,Figaro!Sonqua Hey, Figaro! I'm here Figaroqua,Figarola, Figaro here, Figaro there, Figarosu,Figarogiu, Figaro up, Figaro down, Prontoprontissimosoncomeilfumine: Swifter and swifter I'm like a spark: sonoilfactotumdellacitta I'm the handyman of the city Ah,bravoFigaro!Bravo,bravissimo; Ah, bravo Figaro! Bravo, very good; atefortunanonmanchera Fortunately for you I will not fail