When I dipped my toe in the water a few weeks back and played some classical music the response was very pleasing, so I’ve decided to make Something Classical one of my occasional series, and am striking while the iron is still tepid with a second set. But with a bit of a difference, though: this time I’m playing arias – you know, those ones where the band is joined by a singer or several. As last time there is so much from which I can choose, but I’m taking it gently with this set: all are familiar pieces, so I’m not going for anything ambitious here. And for the couple who suggested Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana last time I’m afraid it is orff the setlist for today, but will no doubt make an appearance at some point, as I love O Fortuna.

Where to begin, then? How about one of the most famous of them all:

Puccini’s Nessus Dorma, of course, from his opera Turandot. This performance by the Three Tenors is magnificent, and I remember staying up late to watch it when it was shown on tv as part of the concert on the eve of the 1994 World Cup. An earlier recording by Pavarotti had been used as the theme music for the 1990 World Cup, which took place in Italy. Nessun Dorma (‘Let no one sleep‘) is an aria from the final act of  Turandot (text by Giuseppe Adami and Renato Simoni) and one of the best-known tenor arias in all opera. It is sung by Calaf, il principe ignoto (the unknown prince), who falls in love at first sight with the beautiful but cold Princess Turandot. Any man who wishes to wed Turandot must first answer her three riddles; if he fails, he will be beheaded. In the aria, Calaf expresses his triumphant assurance that he will win the princess.

In the act before this aria, Calaf has correctly answered the three riddles put to all of Princess Turandot’s prospective suitors. Nonetheless, she recoils at the thought of marriage to him. Calaf offers her another chance by challenging her to guess his name by dawn. As he kneels before her, the Nessun Dorma theme makes a first appearance, to his words, “Il mio nome non sai!” (My name you do not know!). She can execute him if she correctly guesses his name; but if she does not, she must marry him. The cruel and emotionally cold princess then decrees that none of her subjects shall sleep that night until his name is discovered. If they fail, all will be killed. The path of true love never ran smoothly, did it! Spoiler alert: he wins in the end, but it takes a death to get there.

After all that drama I’m calming things down a little with this next one. I’m playing a recorded version with some nice visuals, as it also gives you a translation of the lyrics:

Leo Délibes’ Flower Duet, from his opera Lakmé, which was first performed in 1883. Set in British India in the mid-19th century, Lakmé is based on Théodore Pavie’s story Les babouches du Brahmane (Brahmane’s Slippers, 1849) and the novel Le Mariage de Loti (1880) by Pierre Loti. The opera includes the popular Flower Duet (Dôme épais le jasmin) for a soprano and mezzo-soprano, performed in act 1 by Lakmé, the daughter of a Brahmin priest, and her servant Mallika. The name Lakmé is the French rendition of Sanskrit Lakshmi, the name of the Hindu goddess of wealth. Brits of a certain vintage may well recall that an adaptation of this song was used by British Airways in an advertisement in 1989, and they still use it to this day.

After a couple of tragedies I think I should go for something a little lighter. When I was growing up one of the annual Christmas tv treats was the BBC giving us a Gilbert and Sullivan operetta, usually on Christmas Eve if my ageing memory serves me correctly. There are loads of fun songs in these, and this is one of my favourites:

I Am The Very Model Of A Modern Major General was a song in their opera The Pirates of Penzance, first performed in New York on New Year’s Eve, 1879, which poked fun at grand opera conventions, sense of duty, family obligation, the “respectability” of civilisation and the peerage, and the relevance of a liberal education. The story also revisits a theme from their previous show, HMS Pinafore: a theme of unqualified people in positions of authority, in the person of the “modern Major-General” who has up-to-date knowledge about everything except the military. The Major-General and his many daughters escape from the tender-hearted Pirates of Penzance, who are all orphans, on the false plea that he is an orphan himself. The pirates learn of the deception and re-capture the Major-General, but when it is revealed that the pirates are all peers, the Major-General bids them “resume your ranks and legislative duties, and take my daughters, all of whom are beauties!” I can’t help but think how appropriate it was that this was first performed in the US, where the current ‘leadership’ portrays similar tendencies (stable genius, Trump was right about everything, etc.).

The clip I am playing is from a 1983 movie version which starred Kevin Kline, Angela Lansbury, George Rose, and Rex Smith, who plays the Major-General and takes the lead in this song. You wouldn’t know that he is American from this, would you: he carries the English accent far better than Dick Van Dyke! The other star is the young woman who played his daughter, Mabel, who you saw in the bonnet at the start of the clip. Recognise her? It was Linda Ronstadt, if you didn’t.

Next up is another from a tragic story, which is one that I have always loved. The song starts at about 30 seconds into the clip, but you do get an onscreen translation of the lyrics into English:

Guiseppe Verdi’s Chorus Of The Hebrew Slaves, from his opera Nabucco, composed in 1841 to an Italian libretto based on the biblical books of 2 Kings, Jeremiah, Lamentations, and Daniel, and on the 1836 play by Auguste Anicet-Bourgeois and Francis Cornu. Under its original name of Nabucodonosor, the opera was first performed at La Scala in Milan on the 9th of March 1842. The opera follows the plight of the Jews as they are assaulted, conquered and subsequently exiled from their homeland by the Babylonian king Nabucco (Nebuchadnezzar II). The historical events are used as background for a romantic and political plot. The best known song from the opera is this one, the Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves (“Va, pensiero, sull’ali dorate” / “Fly, thought, on golden wings”), a chorus that is regularly given an encore in many opera houses when performed today. I think that is perfectly understandable, as it is a beautiful piece of music.

I’m closing today with something rousing. I had two choices of video for it, one where the music is slightly out of sync with the image, and one which is a static clip. I’ve decided on the first of those, as it is best seen in performance, I think, and again it gives you a translation:

Bizet’s Toreador Song from his opera, Carmen, which was first performed by the Opéra-Comique in Paris on 3 March 1875, where its breaking of conventions shocked and scandalised its first audiences. Bizet died suddenly after the 33rd performance, unaware that the work would achieve international acclaim within the following ten years. Carmen has since become one of the most popular and frequently performed operas in the classical canon. It is set in southern Spain and tells the story of the downfall of Don José, a naïve soldier who is seduced by the wiles of the fiery gypsy Carmen. José abandons his childhood sweetheart and deserts from his military duties, yet loses Carmen’s love to the glamorous torero Escamillo, after which José kills her in a jealous rage. The depictions of proletarian life, immorality, and lawlessness, and the murder of the main character on stage, broke new ground in French opera and were highly controversial. The Toreador Song is one of the best known, not just of this opera but of all: I think it is fantastic, and a great way to bring this piece to a close.

That’s all for today, and I hope you have enjoyed these. I had a lot of fun putting this together, and I hope that comes across for you.

I’ll see you again for Song Lyric Sunday, so until then be well and happy, and take care 🤗