Aria

10 May, 2024

MUSIC Information:

• Approved Measures
• C Major
• 45 Measures
• Cello and Piano
• 3:15 min
• 4 Pages

I am the fat lady, and I ain't singing shit! - Anonymous

FULL OF SURPRISES

Opera Arias should be played at my funeral. Base on my favorite arias to be performed, it could be a long, sad, happy event, full of surprises. Attendees, either will cry their heart out, or will be disgusted by the dramatic display of grief. In any case, I will be long gone to be able to savor the spectacle of all the faces, either smiling or frowning.

Opera could change the way people see the world, and why not?, after all, going to the opera is an experience larger than life. The first time I heard a Soprano sang an Aria, it appeared to me, as if she had something important, something urgent to communicate and yet, simultaneously unhurried.

LA WALLY

She sang in such dignifying way, everything around me cease to exist. In the moment, it was only her voice and I. Her singing sounded especially elegant and so very tragic; her voice demanded utter attention. I gave in to her spell. The Aria was: Ebben?, ne andró lontana from the Opera La Wally by Catalini, the Soprano: Wilhelmenia Wiggins Fernandez, and these are the lyrics:

Ebben! Ne andrò lontana
Come va l'eco della pia campana
Là fra la neve bianca
Là fra le nubi d'or
Là dove la speranza, la speranza
È rimpianto
È rimpianto e dolor
O della madre mia casa gioconda
La Wally ne andrà da te
Da te lontana assai
E forse a te, e forse a te
Non farà mai più ritorno
Né più la rivedrai
Mai più, mai più
Ne andrò sola e lontana
Come l'eco della pia campana
Là fra la neve bianca
N'andrò, n'andrò sola e lontana
E fra le nubi d'or

LET'S COMPARE

Ever since then, I've enjoyed Opera music very much. It is, as if I enter into a fantastic world where everything happens so fast: The protagonists meet for the first time, and a moment later, they are vowing eternal love to each other on top of their lungs. The display of hatred in an Opera, challenges all forms of human reasoning, not questioning, in the event of, if heaven or hell exist.

If I compared all the drama, between Hollywood movies and Mexican Soap Operas, Mexicans by far, win first prize. However, the big turmoil that unfolds in the stories of an Opera production is substantially, the most intact, due to the array of emotions being sang and counterbalanced by a live score. Yes, I believe, Opera makes, most forms of art, including Broadway Musicals, look like painting by numbers.

IN THE FINAL ACT

Opera is, in all probability, the only form of art that people either love with all their hearts, or hate with all their guts. Still, nobody can deny the excitement of a live Opera. The energy prior to the premieres, is almost palpable in the air, feels as if I've been shocked by an electric current, which passes swiftly through my body and lasts, until the curtain goes down in the final act.

There's a great deal to discover about Opera. Its four hundred long history is unmatched, and even though, it all started in Europe in the 17th Century, it is as popular as when it all began. In the San Francisco Opera website, there is a list of things to know about Opera. I would like to briefly mention them:

Opera is:
1.- Casual and glamorous and sometimes a bit of both.
2.-Timeless
3.- For everyone
4.- Affordable

OPENING NIGHT

The monumental effort it takes for composers, singers, musicians, designers to put together something that beautiful, is mind boggling. When it all comes together in opening night, a miracle happens before our own very eyes, and the stories that unfold seem effortless. Then, without warning, and if we pay attention, the unexpected takes place: The complex characters portrayed by the actors appeared to move into familiar grounds; we feel the joy and pain, and we rejoiced or suffered along the way, because we realize, we are not that different from them.

Opera is, as expected, full of laughter, tears, love, murderers, vile Gods and evil people, just as life really is. The truth is, not everybody enjoys it, there's been harsh remarks by critics and composers alike. Other observations are just plain funny to ignore. I am taking this opportunity to write my favorites:

How wonderful opera would be if there were no singers.
GIOACCHINO ROSSINI

People are wrong when they say the opera isn't what it used to be. It is what it used to be. That's what's wrong with it.
NOEL COWARD

The only thing worse than opera is someone who hums along with opera.
JOSH LANYON

Parsifal is the kind of opera that starts at 6 o'clock. After it has been going three hours you look at your watch and it says 6:20
DAVID RANDOLPH

Of all the noises known to man, opera is the most expensive.
MOLIERE

SOMETHING AIN'T RIGHT

Movie theaters offer screenings of full opera productions, through programs like the Metropolitan Opera's Live in HD series. The program I believe, is global and sends live performances from New York to cinemas worldwide. Imagine my excitement when I first knew of this wonderful opportunity where in my city, and for a fraction, I could take full advantage of the magic world of Opera.

And so I embarked on a new adventure. I was expecting hundreds of people in line waiting. To my big surprise. I was the only one in the cinema looking forward, excitedly, to see La Traviata. For a moment or two, I thought I was in the wrong place. Despite the great disappointment of not seeing another human in the theater, I really did enjoy the show. However, even long after, I kept feeling that something was wrong with me. That day, I left the theater hoping no one would see me going out.

SOMEWHERE IN THE MUSIC

I have composed a duet inspired by my love for Opera. While writing it, I envisioned a Baritone singing the melody originally assigned to the cello. The cello's line has that particular weight, a little somber, unhurried, that sits naturally in a Baritone's chest voice. Giving it to a singer rather than an instrument changes the equation entirely. Words do what strings cannot. Sigh!. Perhaps one day!

The piano part borrows four measures from a piano Sonata by Domenico Cimarosa, an Italian composer who was among the most celebrated figures of the 18th Century. He died in 1801 at the age of fifty one, and managed to composed eighty Operas in his short life. That is an impressive number.

With this piece for piano and cello, I'd like to invite everyone to actively and diligently search for something amusing in music, whether is classical or not, grasp for something surprising and exciting; "that something", is hidden out of sight somewhere in the music, you'll just have to find it, keep digging, and when you do, do not let go of it. Just remember: Is not over until the fat lady sings.