Camellia

copyright Imogen Crest 2006.

Impressions from Tosca

Tosca
by Giacomo Puccini
A film by Benoit Jacquot

Church of Sant' Andrea








Mario Cavaradossi...
... Roberto Alagna






Floria Tosca...
... Angela Gheorghiu








Whether or not to kiss before praying...






Scarpia...
Ruggero Raimondi






Mario has been tortured...

Vissi d'Arte

Vissi d'arte, vissi d'amore
-- I lived for art, I lived for love;
non feci mai male ad anima viva!
-- Never did I harm a living creature!...
Con man furtiva
-- I sought with secret hand to succour...
quante miserie conobbi, aiutai
-- Whatever misfortunes I encountered
Sempre con fe sincera,
-- Ever in pure faith,
la mia preghiera
-- my prayers rose
ai santi tabernacoli sali.
-- in the holy chapels.
Sempre con fe sincera
-- Ever in pure faith,
diedi fiori agli altar.
-- I brought flowers to the altars.
Nell'ora del doloer perchè
-- in this hour of pain. Why,
perchè, Signore, perchè,
-- why, oh Lord, why,
me ne rimuneri cosi?
-- dost Thou repay me thus?
Diedi gioielli
-- Jewels I brought
della Madonna al manto,
-- for the Madonna's mantle,
e diedi il canto agli astri,
-- and songs for the stars in heaven
al ciel, che ne ridean piu belli.
-- that they shone forth with greater radiance.
Nell'ora del dolore, perchè,
-- In this hour of distress. Why,
perchè, Signore,
-- why, oh Lord,
perchè me ne rimuneri cosi?
-- why dost Thou repay me thus?



That was Tosca's kiss...












E lucevan le Stelle

E lucevan le stelle ed olezzava la terra,
-- And the stars shoned and the earth was perfumed...
Stridea l'uscio dell'orto,
-- The gate to the garden creaked...
E un passo sfiorava la rena
-- And a footstep rustled, anouncing the queen
Entrava ella, fragrante,
-- Frangranted she entered
mi cadea fra le braccia
-- and fell into my arms...

Oh, dolci baci, o languide carezze,
-- Oh soft kisses, oh sweet abandon,
mentr'io fremente
-- as I trembling
le belle forme disciogliea dai veli!
-- unloosed her veils and disclosed her beauty.
Svani per sempre il sogno mio d'amore
-- Oh vanished forever is that dream of love,
L'ora e fuggita
-- fled is that hour,
E muoio dispertao!
-- and desperatly I die.
E non ho amato mai tanto la vita!
-- And never before I have loved so much!


Gli occhi ti chiuderò con mille baci
e mille ti dirò nomi d'amor.
-- And I will close your eyes with a thousand kisses and give you thousand names of love.
Dreaming of the future



Tosca finds Mario dead...

La Traviata: A parallel view

La Traviata
by Giuseppe Verdi
Same story, different viewings

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Violetta:
Anna Netrebko, Angela Gheorghiu, Theresa Stratas

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Alfredo:
Rolando Villazon, Frank Lopardo, Placido Domingo

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Libiamo ne lieti calici...

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Prendete questo fior'...
(take this flower..)

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Act two

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Violetta and Germont

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Partirò, ma giura innante che dovunque seguirai i passi miei...
(I will go, but you will swear that wherever I go, you will follow...)

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O mia Violetta / Amato Alfredo
(O my Violetta / Beloved Alfredo)

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Parigi o cara noi lascieremo...la vita uniti trascorreremo...
(Paris, or dearest, we will leave...we will live together...)

Libiamo..

Libiamo...or also known as "let's enjoy" the world of opera, which is indeed a whole new world.
Stories get a whole new aspect through music and through that we are in a world that could exist without words and conveys emotions for which there are none.

The Opera Gate...

This gate leads to other times

and places, the world of opera.

Some stories from opera are not

what they first seem, and have

many layers and interpretations.

Look into the history of any opera

and you come face to face with a

different story in itself. Once

you go through the Opera Gate,

it's easy to become obsessed!
copyright Imogen Crest 2006.