A Night at the Opera

Ok, I promised better videos of the aria and scenes that I worked on this summer, so here is what I have. My camera stops recording after 3 minutes, so it had to be restarted by my friend Patrick who graciously video'd the final concert for me so I'd have something to bring home to family and friends. My camera doesn't have the greatest recording quality, but this will at least give you a decent approximation. I've included the Italian lyrics and the English translation with each video. Enjoy!

La Pastorella delle Alpi (Rossini)



Italian Text (English word-for-word translation in Italics)

Son bella pastorella, che scende ogni mattino,
I am pretty shepherdess that goes down each/every morning

ed offre un cestellino di fresche frutta e fior.
and offers a little crate of fresh fruit and flowers

Chi viene al primo albore avra vezzose rose
who comes first to the arbor shall have charming roses

e poma rugiadose, venite al mio giardin.
and apples dewy, (you) come to my garden

ahu....
ah....

Chi nel notturno orrore smarri la buona via,
Who in the night horror loses the good road,

alla capanna mia ritrovera il cammin.
to the country mine to return to the road.

Venite, o passaggiero, la pastorella e qua,
(you) Come, oh passenger/passerby/traveler, the shepherdess is here,

ma il fior del suo pensiero ad uno soldara!
but the flower of my thought to one only/alone I give!

ahu....
ah...."Pst, pst, Nannetta!" from Falstaff (Verdi)
(Performed with Jacob January singing Fenton)

Part 1:



Part 2:


Fenton: Pst, pst. Nannetta. Vien qua.
Pst, pst. Nannetta. (you) Come here.

Nannetta: Ssssss. Taci. Che vuoi?
Shhh! Quiet. What do you want?

Fenton: Due baci.
Two kisses.

Nannetta: In fretta.
In a hurry.

Fenton: In fretta.
In a hurry.

Nannetta: Labbra di foco.
Lips of fire.

Fenton: Labbra di fiore!
Lips of flowers!

Nannetta: Che il vago gioco sanno d'amore.
That the charming play/game knows of love.

Fenton: Che spargon ciarle, Che mostran perle, Belle a vederle, Dolci a baciarle! Labbra leggiadre!
That scatters nonsense (gossip), That shows pearls, Beautiful to see them, Sweet to kiss them! Lips flirtacious!

Nannetta: Man malandrine!
Hand thieving/naughty!

Fenton: Ciglia assassine! Pupille ladre! T'amo!...
Killer eyes/eyebrows. Thieving eyes! I love you!...

Nannetta: Imprudente. No...
Imprudent one. No...

Fenton: Si, due baci.
Yes, two kisses.

Nannetta: Basta.
Enough.

Fenton: Mi piaci tanto!
Me you please so much! (Another expression meaning "I love you")

Nannetta: Vien gente.
Here come people.

Fenton: Bocca baciata non perde ventura...
The mouth that is kissed does not lose good fortune

Nannetta: Anzi rinova come fa la luna, come fa la luna.
Rather renew as does the moon, as does the moon.

Fenton: Torno all'assalto.
I return to the assault.

Nannetta: Torno alla gara. Ferisci!
I return to the match. You are wounded!

Fenton: Para!
Parry (block--a fencing term)

Nannetta: La mira e in alto. L'amor e un agile torneo, sua corte vuol che il piu fragile vinca il piu forte.
It see is on high. Love is an agile tournament, his court wants that the more weak conquer the more strong.

Fenton: M'armo,... ti guardo. T'aspetto al varco.
I arm myself,... I see you. I wait for you at the pass.

Nannetta: Il labbro e l'arco.
The lip is the bow.

Fenton: E il bacio e il dardo. Bada!... la frecia fatal gia scocca dalla mia bocca sulla tua treccia.
And the kiss is the arrow/dart. Be careful!/Watch out!...the arrow fatal already shot from my mouth to your braids.

Nannetta: Eccoti avvinto.
Here you are enthralled. (This humorous line based on wordplay means both physical and emotional entrapment.)

Fenton: Chiedo la vita!
I ask for (my) life!

Nannetta: Io son ferita ma tu sei vinto. (The first video cuts off during this line and picks up partway through Fenton's next line, FYI.)
I am wounded, but you are conquered.

Fenton: Pieta! Pieta! Facciamo la pace e poi...
Pity/mercy! Pity/Mercy! Let us make the peace and then...

Nannetta: E poi?
And then?

Fenton: Se vuoi, ricominciamo.
If you want, let us begin again.

Nannetta: Bello e quel gioco che dura poco. Basta.
Pretty/beautiful is the joke that lasts short/a little time. Enough.

Fenton: Amor mio!
My love!

Nannetta: Vien gente. Addio!
Here come people. Farewell!

Fenton: Bocca baciata non perde ventura.
The mouth that is kissed does not lose good fortune

Nannetta: Anzi rinova come fa la luna, come fa la luna.
Rather renew as does the moon, as does the moon.


"Cosa mi narri/Sull'aria" from Le Nozze di Figaro/The Marriage of Figaro (Mozart)
(Performed with Brenna Sluiter singing the Countess)

Part 1:


Part 2:



Opening Recitative:

Countess: Cosa mi narri? e che ne disse il Conte?
thing me (you) tell? and what of it (meaning the plan) said the Count?

Susanna: Gli si leggeva in fronte il dispeeto, el la rabbia.
He himself on could read in his face the spite and the anger/rage.

Countess: Piano, che meglio or lo porremo in gabbia! Dov' e l'appuntamento che tu gli proponesti?
Quiet, that better us to put (him) in trap! Where is the appointment that you to him proposed?

Susanna: In giardino.
In garden.

Countess: Fissiamgli un loco. Scrivi.
Let us fix him a place/location. (you) Write.

Susanna: Ch'io scriva, ma signora...
That I write, but Lady/Madam...

Countess: Eh scrivi, dico, e tutto io prendo su me stessa: Canzonetta sull' aria.
You write, I say, and everything I take on me myself: A little song to the breeze/on the air.

Aria:

Susanna: Sull' aria.
On the air.

Countess: Che soave zefiretto,
What soft little zephyrs,

Susanna: ...zefiretto...
...little zephyrs...

Countess: Questa sera spirera,
This evening will blow,

Susanna: questa sera spirera,
this evening will blow,

Countess: Sotto i pini del boschetto--
Under the pines in the little woods--

Susanna: sotto i pini?
Under the pines?

Countess: sotto i pini del boschetto,
Under the pines in the little woods,

Susanna: Sotto i pini del boschetto,
Under the pines in the little woods,

Countess: Ei gia il resto capira.
He already the rest will understand.

Susanna: Certo, certo il capira,
Certain, certain he will understand,

(They repeat these last two lines for the rest of the aria.)

Closing Recitative:

Susanna: Piegato e il foglio, or come si sigilla?
Folded is the letter, now how to seal it?

Countess: Ecco, prendi una spilla, servira di sigillo. Attendi, scrivi sul riverso del foglio; "Rimandate il sigillo."
Here, take a pin, it will serve as a seal. Wait, write on the reverse of the letter; "Send back the pin."

Susanna: E piu bizzarro de quel della patente.
It's more strange than the commission (a comic plot twist earlier in the opera).

Countess: Presto nascondi; io sento venir gente.
Quickly hide it; I feel people coming.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Basta stasera! Ciao, amici!
Enough this evening! Bye, friends!

-Emily