Opera Lovers, I'm in need of your assistance.

If you were to reaffirm your Wedding vows in a non-denominational ceremony commemorating 20 years of Marriage and were able to secure the services of a professional soprano to sing an aria at said ceremony.......

What aria would you choose??

A really good one for a wedding is "O Mio Babbino Caro" from Gianni Schicchi by Puccini.

Are you looking for something lyrical or something more vibrant. "Let the Bright Seraphim" was what Kiri Te Kanawa sang at Princess Diana's wedding, but it's difficult to find a soprano that won't butcher it.

This will be sung acapella in an informal setting outdoors.

I'm thinking of maybe "Un Bel Di" from Madame Butterfly or something similar.

occassion... since Cio Cio San is singing about her lover who left her. :) (Also, unless you know the singer's voice, it's not an easy aria.)

O Mio Babbino Caro can be sung a capella, easily, and lends itself nicely to that.

I'll give it a listen.

"Oh my dear dad." :shrug:

She says that she will throw herself into the river if she can't have him, that her father should take pity on her.

On edit, here's a translation:

Oh dear daddy
I love him, he is so handsome
I want to go to Porta Rossa
to buy the ring
Yes, yes, I want to go there
And if my love were in vain
I would go to Ponte Vecchio
and throw myself in the Arno
I fret and suffer torments
Oh God, I would rather die
Daddy, have pity, have pity

n/t

orchestra? I love Opera
however I don't know enough to help you with the aria part but there is a lovely intermezzo in Carmen that would be really pretty, at least I always thought it would be great for a wedding. It would be do-able with a few instruments and is so beautiful.

So no.

This would be a capella and informal.

And why an opera aria when there is so much wonderful and appropriate concert and church music? Something by Bach, perhaps? "My heart ever faithful" (popular translation--don't know the German title or which cantata it comes from) is quite appropriate.

Thanks for the idea!!

that did sound kind of funny when I re read it. I just meant a small group, even a trio could probably do it. Sorry, I wish my brother was still around, he did opera for a living.

unless the bride weighs 400 pounds.

of time.

it's from his Tales of Hoffman. It's just absolutely stunning & magical and yes, I fell in love with it after it was featured in "Life is Beautiful"

For that matter, the duet from Lakme is even more beautiful.

It's called Barcarolle and is a beautiful song. I would also suggest the song Recuerdame from the same cd... I don't have it in front of me so I can't give anymore details than that.

oh, nevermind.

n/t

At first, I really did think that said Oprah - and I thought WTF? Then I noticed...

The singer may have a good idea of what would be appropriate and what is suited for her voice (and what she already knows somewhat).

There is a beautiful song from Candide that I always said I would use if I ever got married again. It would probably be easier to sing without a piano than some of the Arias she knows.

Make our Garden Grow

You've been a fool and so have I
But come I'll be your wife
And let us try before we die
To make some sense of life
We're neither pure nor wise nor good
We'll do the best we know
We'll build our house and chop our wood
And make our garden grow
And make our garden grow

I thought the world was sugar cake
For so our master said
But now I'll teach my hands to bake
Our loaf of daily bread
We're neither pure nor wise nor good
We'll do the best we know
We'll build house and chop our wood
And make our garden grow
And make our garden grow

Let dreamers dream what worlds they please
Those Edens can't be found
The sweetest flowers
The fairest trees
Are grown in solid ground
We're neither pure nor wise nor good
We'll do the best we know
We'll build our house and chop our wood
And make our garden grow
And make our garden grow

I have done it

is... There are many different types of sopranos, and I think you're going to want her to sing something that's actually appropriate for her voice. Can you find out what type of soprano she is (Soubrette, Lyric, Spinto, Dramatic, Coloratura, etc.), or what operas she is comfortable singing?

Off the top of my head these are the ones I would want to use:

Viens, Malinka... (The Flower Duet from Lakme - unfortunately it is also the music used for the British Airways commercial and it is a duet - can you get two sops?)

One Hand, One Heart (There's A Place For Us) - if you are involved in any way with youth musical arts programs you've heard this one too many times done badly, but done by a good soprano it can make you weep with its beauty. I once got to hear Dame Kiri sing it in a concert. Oh yeah, it's from West Side Story and is sung as a duet in the show.

The Dark Night of the Soul (by Loreena McKennitt - not opera but a lovely song in the hands of a good soprano and very appropriate to a wedding... despite the title). This one is actually my top choice.

Ebben... ne andro lontano (from La Wally - the aria used in the film Diva) This one has the same problem as Un Bel Di (Madame Butterfly)... it's not really the happiest of songs when you listen to the lyrics, however if no one knows Italian...

but it's a bitch to sing... I doubt that he'll be able to find a singer capable of it.

I'd go for a smokey voiced Ute Lemperer type and have her sing La Vie en Rose, ala Edith Piaf. But that's just me. ;-)

La Vie en Rose

(English translation)
Hold me close and hold me fast
The magic spell you cast
This is la vie en rose
When you kiss me, Heaven sighs
And though I close my eyes
I see la vie en rose
When you press me to your heart
I'm in a world apart
A world where roses bloom
And when you speak
Angels sing from above
Every day words
Seem to turn into love songs
Give your heart and soul to me
And life will always be
La vie en rose

I thought that love was just a word
They sang about in songs I heard
It took your kisses to reveal
That I was wrong, and love is real

Hold me close and hold me fast
The magic spell you cast
This is la vie en rose
When you kiss me, Heaven sighs
And though I close my eyes
I see la vie en rose
When you press me to your heart
I'm in a world apart
A world where roses bloom
And when you speak
Angels sing from above
Every day words
Seem to turn into love songs
Give your heart and soul to me
And life will always be
La vie en rose

This may be too "Mezzo" for her, but you never know unless you ask.
It is very beautiful and here is the english translation (however sung in french is much more romantic)

My heart opens to your voice,
like the flowers open
To the kisses of the dawn!
But, o my beloved,
To dry my tears the best,
Let your voice speak again!
Tell me that to Dalila
You will return forever,
Repeat to my tenderness
The oaths of other times,
the oaths that I loved!
Ah! respond to my tenderness!
Pour out to me the drunkeness!

Like one sees the wheat
the blades undulate
Under the light breeze,
So trembles my hear,
ready to be consoled,
by your voice which is dear e!
The arrow is less quick to carry death,
Than is your love
to fly into my arms!
Ah! resond to my tenderness!
Pour out to me the drunkeness!

The Skin

We'll need to talk to the singer and get more specific about which songs or arias she is most comfortable/familiar with.

I'll keep ya posted.

And thank you all. Thank you very, very much. You've been a great help.

faithless lovers, death, madness, or other unpleasant topics. Or aren't being addressed to Daddy.

If your soprano is comfortable with Broadway, there are any number of musical theater numbers. Cheswick's suggestion of "Make Our Garden Grow" is lovely, and "Till There Was You" from The Music Man is another good one.

Thats a good one and can be done in that kind of classically trained way broadway singers used to sing before they all became pop singers.

"Mi Chiamano Mimi" and "Donde Lieta" both from La Boheme, "Deh vieni, non tardar" from The Marriage of Figaro, "Depuis le jour" from Louise, "Chi il Sogno di Doretta" from La Rondine, "Tu Che di Gel Sei Cinta" from Turandot, "Du Bist der Lenz" from Die Walkure...

the setting you describe.

It's a strophic song that can be sung in any range and by any voice. A good operatic singer can really do the song justice. And, as it's sung as a female-male duet in the show, you don't have to worry about gender-shifting singers at the ceremony.

Best of all, there are no non-singing longueurs to worry about. Once the singer starts One hand, one heart, they don't shut up. Most opera arias include a few measures here and there where the singer drops out and the accompaniment continues. Sometimes the accompaniment carries the tune with the singer re-entering midway through a melody. That could be awkward in an outdoor, unaccompanied setting such as you describe.

Finally, it's a crowd pleaser that almost everyone attending the ceremony will know. That's usually better than springing a unknown classical piece on the crowd.

I say you go with Bernstein's little gem.

She's a professional. She'll know precisely what she can do well with the limitations you've described.

Trust her. And congrats! :-)

La Donna E Mobile

:D

I'd have to go with the second Queen of the Night aria from "The Magic Flute."

I'd use it but I'm known for being a little warped when it comes to these things for myself.

Queen of the Night is one of my favourites.

an octave lower than it's written.

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From Henry Purcell's "Dido and Aeneas."

That's an incredibly beautiful aria, but not for the occassion... a bit funereal.

Humor from a divorced musician. :hi:

I do however love that aria... and have sung it myself.

And now I can't get that ground bass outta my head!

Since you are a singer, you are probably more familiar with aria literature than I. What about "Renaissance" music? How about a madrigal or two, or a motet by Josquin and his contemporaries? Or if you want something slow and more homophonic, how about Victoria or Palestrina? Monteverdi wrote LOTS of great stuff too... I'm not sure what you are looking for.

I do think though that early music would be a good choice for the occassion. :)

Now I can't get "Remember Me" out of my head. :D

Bachianas Brasileiras Nos. 5? This is sooo beautiful! Mind you, I have no idea what type of soprano will sing for this ocassion...

Love that piece. And yes, it's important to know the type of soprano. Not everyone is capable of this repertoire.

I'm a guitar player and I have dated a few singers (now that I think about it, I should have married one), so I am somewhat familiar... it's not like I do daily vocalises though. I know lute/vihuela literature pretty well; there's a lot of Dowland songs, etc. that are appropriate if a guitar player is available... Ha! we're a dime a dozen, like Sopranos.

How about "Come Again?"

Come again,
Sweet love doth now invite
Thy graces that refrain
To do me due delight,
To see, to hear, to touch, to kiss, to die
With thee again in sweetest sympathy.

Come again,
That I may cease to mourn
Through thy unkind disdain;
For now left and forlorn,
I sit, I sigh, I weep, I faint, I die
In deadly pain and endless misery.

Gentle love,
Draw forth thy wounding dart;
Thou canst not pierce her heart,
For I that to approve,
By sighs and tears more hot than are thy shafts
Did tempt, while she for triumph laughs.

Male opera singers have it SOOOOOO good. There must be 50 women to every man in that business.

I also quit because I was sick of living hand-to-mouth, sick of the incredibly irritating politics and sick of being away from home for months on end.

I do miss it though. :(

If I played jazz or blues or Rolling Stones covers (I could, but I DON'T WANT TO), etc. I might make enough to eat for a day, but playing Renaissance music or Villa-Lobos chôros on the guitar doesn't earn me damn thing in this country. I was better appreciated in rural Brasil than in American cities!... I miss traveling around Europe and playing wherever I laid my hat. At least in Salzburg the average person could recognise when I played a variation on "Die Zauberflöte." Most Americans do not appreciate (with their pocket books) serious art music, and I'm getting too old to travel from youth hostel to youth hostel...

And me too on the selling out stuff... If I was willing to do Broadway, I could've continued to make a good living (even better)... as many of my opera singing friends did end up doing.

We can thank Reagan for demolishing classical music in this country.

Ombra mai fu, by Händel. It is from the opera Serse. It is generally sung by tenors, but was originally written for a male mezzo. So a female mezzo could easily sing it.

:shrug:

it's a great pick! :D

Geez... get with the program! :) I believe the translation is "o, fair vegetable"

:D

Lucia Di Lammermoor has some great arias for Sopranos. So does L'elisir d'amore. Bach also.

that would be completely appropriate and beautiful. Some of the most pure music out there (putting aside the religious nature of most of it).

"Deh vieni, non tardar," which Susanna sings in The Marriage of Figaro, is very tender and sensual. It's really more a bride's song in anticipation of the wedding night, but don't let that stand in the way.

Then there's what Zerlina sings to Masetto in Don Giovanni -- I can't for the life of me think of what it's called -- in anticipation of their wedding night. Masetto has been pretty badly roughed up prior to the scene, so maybe it is appropriate for people who have suffered the ups and downs of life.

Translated:

You will see, my dear
if you'll be good
the cure
I have for you!
It's natural
It won't give you disgust
though no apothecary
can prescribe it.
It's a certain balm
I carry within me
which I can give you,
if you'll try it.
You want to know
where I keep it?
Then feel it beating,
put your hand here.


Very good suggestion!

Sing it to me :evilgrin: (put your hand *here* while you do)

Not exactly my repertoire, but I think I could manage :)