Abigail Hart, Soprano

with

Chia-Yu Tsai, Piano José Vargas, Tenor

Ariel Jonathan Dove (b. 1959) III. O, O, O IV. All hail, great master V. Is there more toil?

“All hail, great master” Lee Hoiby (1926-2011) from The Tempest

Three Shakespeare Songs Amy Beach (1867-1944) O, Mistress Mine Take, O Take Those Lips Away Fairy Lullaby

“Va! Je t’ai pardonné” Charles Gounod (1818-1893) from Roméo et Juliette

Ballade, Op. 118 no. 3 in G minor Johannes Brahms (1833-1897) Ophelia Lieder Wie erkenn’ ich dein Treulieb Sein Leichenhemd weiß wie Schnee zu sehn Auf morgen ist Sankt Valentins Tag Sie trugen ihn auf der Bahre bloß Und kommt er nicht mehr zurück? Intermezzo, Op. 199 no. 1

“A vos jeux, mes amis… Pâle et blonde” Ambroise Thomas (1811-1896)

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Text based on W. Shakespeare, adapted by Jonathan Dove.

III. V. O, O, O Is there more toil? Since thou dost give me pains, IV. Let me remember thee Ah! All hail, great master! What thou hast promis’d Ah! Grave sir, hail! Ah! Which is not yet perform’d me! I come to answer thy best pleasure, My liberty! Be’t to fly, to swim, to dive into the fire Ah! I drink the air before me! To ride on the curled clouds Where the bee sucks, there suck I. To thy strong bidding, task Ariel, In a cowslip’s bell I lie, And all his quality! There I crouch when owls do cry. What would, my noble master? On the bat’s back I do fly I am here, what shall I do? After summer, merrily, merrily What shall I do? Shall I live now Say what! Under the blossom Do you love me, Master? that hangs on the bough. What’s thy pleasure? My lord, it shall be done!

------“All hail, great master” is an excerpt from The Tempest by Lee Hoiby with libretto by Mark Shulgasser. This aria is the introduction of the character Ariel. At the end of the opera, Ariel does win his freedom, while the epilogue insinuates that it is, in fact, Prospero who is trapped. Shakespeare is known for including songs for his characters to sing, and Ariel is one of the characters that sings the most onstage. This has made Ariel a popular muse for all types of art song composers.

Text by W. Shakespeare.

ARIEL [PROSPERO: Why, that’s my spirit!] “All hail, great master, I come To answer thy best pleasure; be it to fly, ARIEL To swim, to dive into the fire, to ride Not a soul but felt a fever of the mad. On the curled clouds, to thy strong bidding task The King’s son, Ferdinand, was the first man that leapt, Ariel and all his quality. cried “Hell is empty and all the devils are here.” Him have I landed by himself whom I left [PROSPERO: Hast thou, spirit, performed to cooling of the air with sighs in an odd angle of the isle, point the tempest that I bade thee?] and sitting, his arms in this sad knot.

ARIEL [PROSPERO: Of the King’s ship, say.] To every article. I boarded the king’s ship. Now on the beak, now in the waist, the deck, ARIEL in every cabin, I flamed amazement. Safely in harbour is the King’s ship. In the deep nook, Sometimes I’d divide, and burn in many places, where once thou call’st me up at midnight to fetch dew then meet and join. from the still-vexed Ber- moothes, there she’s hid.

[PROSPERO: My brave spirit!] [PROSPERO: But are they, Ariel, safe?]

ARIEL ARIEL Jove’s lightnings, the precursors Not a hair perished. of the dreadful thunderclaps, In troops I have dispersed them ‘bout the isle. more momentary and sight-outrunning [PROSPERO: And all the rest o’ th’ fleet?] were not. Ha! The fire and cracks of sulphurous roaring the most mighty ARIEL Neptune seemed to besiege, All the rest of the fleet, bound sadly home for Naples. and make his bold waves tremble, yea, [PROSPERO: Bountiful fortune!] his dread trident shake. Ah!

Amy Beach (1867-1944) was one of the first American female composers to become successful composing art music. Her set, Three Shakespeare Songs, includes a sonnet, an excerpt from Measure for Measure, and an excerpt from A Midsummer Night’s Dream. In the last piece, Titania sings her fairy lullaby, before she goes to sleep and Oberon tricks her into falling in love with Bottom, the donkey-man.

Texts by W. Shakespeare..

I. O Mistress mine where are you roaming? II. Take, oh take those lips away, O stay and hear, your true love's coming, That so sweetly were forsworn, That can sing both high and low. And those eyes: the break of day, Trip no further pretty sweeting. Lights that do mislead the Morn; Journeys end in lovers' meeting, But my kisses bring again, bring again, Every wise man's son doth know. Seals of love, but sealed in vain, sealed in vain.

What is love, 'tis not hereafter, Present mirth, hath present laughter: III. Philomel, with melody, What's to come, is still unsure. Sing in our sweet lullaby: In delay there lies no plenty, Lulla, lulla, lullaby; lulla, lulla, lullaby: Then come kiss me sweet and twenty: Never ham, Youth's a stuff will not endure. Nor spell nor charm, Come our lovely lady night: So, good night, with lullaby.

“Va! Je t’ai pardonné” appears in Act IV of Roméo et Juliette after Romeo and Juliet have consummated their secret marriage. Juliet realizes that their families will never reconcile, even though she has forgiven him for killing her cousin Tybalt. Her father will never give his blessing for the marriage, and will probably kill Romeo on sight to avenge Tybalt, Romeo will have to sneak away, before the morning. They sing about their love and their sadness to have to be parted.

Va! Je t'ai pardonné; Go, I forgive you; Tybalt voulait ta mort! Tybalt wanted your death! S'il n'avait succombé If he had not succumbed, Tu succombais toi-même! You would have died yourself! Loin de moi la douleur! Far from me the pain! Loin de moi les remords! Far from me the remorse! Il te haissait et je t'aime He hated you and I love you!

ROMÉO Ah! redis-le, redis-le, ce mot si doux! Ah! Say it again, this word so sweet!!

JULIETTE Je t'aime, O Roméo! I love you, Oh, Romeo! Je t'aime, ô mon époux! I love you, Oh, Romeo!

JULIETTE, ROMÉO Nuit d'hyménée! O wedding night! O douce nuit d'amour! O sweet night of love! La destinée Destiny! M'enchaîne à toi sans retour. Chains me to you without return. Sous tes baisers de flamme Beneath your burning kisses Le ciel rayonne en moi. Heaven radiates in me. Je t'ai donné mon âme; I have given you my soul; À toi, toujour à toi! It belongs to you, always to you.

JULIETTE Roméo, qu'as-tu donc? Romeo, what's wrong, then?

ROMÉO Listen, O Juliette! Écoute, O, Juliette! The lark already announces to us the day! L'alouette déjà nous annonce le jour!

JULIETTE Non! non, ce n'est pas le jour, No, no, it's not the day! ce n'est pas l'alouette It isn't the lark Dont le chant a frappé ton oreille inquiete, Whose song struck your disquieted ear, C'est le doux Rossignol, It is the sweet nightingale, Confidant d'amour! Confidant of love!

ROMÉO C'est l'alouette, hélas! messagère du jour! It's the lark, alas, messenger of the day! Vois ces rayons jaloux See its jealous rays Dont l'horizon se dore; With which the horizon is gilded; De la nuit les flambeaux pâlissent The candles of the night become pale Et l'aurore And the dawn Dans les vapeurs de l'Orient In the vapors (mists) of the east Se lèvent en souriant! Arises smiling!

JULIETTE Non, non, ce n'est pas le jour, No, no, it is not day, Cette lueur funeste This lethal glow N'est que le doux reflet Is nothing but the sweet reflection Du bel astre des nuits! Of the beautiful moon (star of nights) Reste! reste! Stay! stay!

ROMÉO Ah! Vienne donc la mort! Je reste! Ah, come then, death! I am staying.

JULIETTE Ah! tu dis vrai; c'est le jour! Ay, you speak truly, it is day! Fuis, il faut quitter ta Juliette! Flee, you must leave your Juliette!

ROMÉO Non! non, ce n'est pas le jour! No, no it is not the day! Ce n'est pas l'alouette! It's not the lark! C'est le doux rossignol, It is the sweet nightingale, Confident de l'amour. Confidant of love.

JULIETTE C'est l'alouette, hélas! messagère du jour! It's the lark, alas, messenger of the day! Pars! Ma vie! Leave! You who are my life!

ROMÉO Un baiser et je pars! One kiss and I will leave!

JULIETTE Loi cruelle! Loi cruelle! Cruel decree! Cruel decree!

ROMÉO Ah! Reste, reste encore Ah! Stay, stay awhile En mes bras enlacés! In my arms intertwined! Reste encore! Reste encore! Stay awhile! Stay awhile!

Un jour il sera doux à notre amour fidèle, One day it will be sweet for our true love, De se resouvenir de ses tourments passés. To remember again our past torments.

JULIETTE Il faut partir, hélas! You must go, alas; Il faut quitter ses bras You must leave these arms Où je te presse Where I press you Et t'arracher à cette ardente ivresse! And wrench free from this ardent ecstasy!

JULIETTE & ROMÉO Il faut partir, hélas! You must go, alas; Il faut quitter ces bras You must leave these arms Où je te presse (elle me presse) Where I press you (she presses me) Et t'arracher (m'arracher) And wrench free à cette ardente ivresse! from this ardent ecstasy! Ah! Que le sort qui de toi me sépare Ah, how fate which separates me from you Plus que la mort est cruel et barbare! Is more cruel and barbaric than death! Il faut partir, hélas! You must go, alas; Il faut quitter ses bras You must leave these arms Où je te presse Where I press you Et t'arracher à cette ardente ivresse! And wrench free from this ardent ecstasy! C'en est fait de cette ardente ivresse! It's all over with this ardent ecstasy!

ROMÉO Adieu, ma Juliette, adieu! Farewell, my Juliette, farewell!

JULIETTE Adieu! Farewell!

ROMÉO et JULIETTE Toujours à toi! Forever yours!

JULIETTE Adieu, mon âme! Adieu, ma vie! Farewell, my soul! Farewell, my life! Anges du ciel, à vous, Angels in heaven, to you, À vous, je le confie! To you I him entrust!

Johannes Brahms (1833-1897) is well known for both his piano music and his art song. The Ophelia Lieder were composed for a German language production of Hamlet, and were intended to be sung on unaccompanied by the actress onstage. Brahms later added a piano accompaniment and compiled them as a song set.

The text of the German version is by Wilehem Schlegel, after Shakespeare’s original.

I. Wie erkenn' ich mein Treulieb How can I tell my true love Vor den Andern nun? From another? An dem Muschelhut und Stab By his cockle hat and staff Und den Sandalschuh'n? And his sandal shoes.

Er ist lange tod und hin, He is dead and long gone, Tod und hin, Fräulein; Dead and gone, Lady! Ihm zu Häupten ein Rasen grün, At his head, green grass, Ihm zu Fuß ein Stein. At his feet, a stone. Oh-ho!

II. Sein Leichenhemd weiß wie Schnee zu sehn, White his shroud as the mountain snow, Geziert mit Blumensegen, Larded with sweet flowers; Das unbetränt zum Grab mußt gehn Which bewept to the grave did go Von Liebesregen. With true love showers.

III. Auf morgen ist Sankt Valentins Tag, To-morrow is Saint Valentine's day, Wohl an der Zeit noch früh, All in the morning [betime]2, Und ich 'ne Maid am Fensterschlag And I a maid at your window, Will sein eur Valentin. To be your Valentine. Er war bereit, tät an sein Kleid, Then up he rose, and donn'd his clothes, Tät auf die Kammertür, And dupp'd the chamber-door; Ließ ein die Maid, die als 'ne Maid Let in the maid, that out a maid Ging nimmermehr herfür. Never departed more.

IV. Sie trugen ihn auf der Bahre bloß, They bore him barefaced on the bier; Leider, ach Leider! Hey non nonny, nonny, hey nonny; Und manche Trän' fiel in Grabes Schoß – And in his grave rain'd many a tear:-- ‘Nunter, hinunter You must sing a-down a-down,

Und ruft ihr ihn 'nunter. An you call him a-down-a. Denn traut lieb Fränzel ist all meine Lust. For bonny sweet Robin is all my joy.

V. Und kommt er nicht mehr zurück? And will he not come again? Und kommt er nicht mehr zurück? And will he not come again? Er ist tot, o weh! In dein Todesbett geh, No, no, he is dead: Go to thy death-bed: Er kommt ja nimmer zurück He never will come again.

Sein Bart war so weiß wie Schnee zu sehn His beard was as white as snow, Sein Haupt dem Flachse gleich All flaxen was his poll: Er ist hin, ist hin, He is gone, he is gone, Und kein Leid bringt Gewinn, And we cast away moan: Gott helf’ ihm ins Himmelreich! God ha' mercy on his soul! And of all Christian souls, I pray God. God be wi' ye.

Commonly known as ‘Ophelia’s Mad Scene’, this excerpt comes from the final act of Thomas’s Hamlet. Ophelia has gone mad after Hamlet abandons her. Thomas’s opera takes a few liberties with Shakespeare’s plot. In Thomas’s version, Ophelie’s death occurs on stage, and she sings her final songs to a chorus of peasants by the lake in which she ultimately drowns herself. Thomas replaces “Tomorrow is St. Valentine’s Day” with a fairytale about the Willis, water sprites who lovers to their death. The original ballad was considered too bawdy for audiences at the Paris Opéra, where it premiered.

Translation by Ilya Speranza.

A vos jeux, mes amis, At your game, my friends, permettez-moi de grace de prendre part! would you permit me to take part! Nul n'a suivi ma trace! No one has followed my path! J'ai quitte le palais I left the palace aux premiers feux du jour... at the first fires of the day... Des larmes de la nuit Of the tears of night la terre etait mouillee: the earth was damp: Et l'alouette, avant l'aube eveillee, And the lark, high in the trees, planait dans l'air. hovers in the air. Mais vous, pourquoi vous parler bas? But you, why do you speak so softly? Ne me reconnaissez pas? Do you not recognize me? Hamlet est mon epoux.. Hamlet is my bridegroom... et je suis Ophelie! and I am Ophelia! Un doux serment nous lie. A sweet oath binds us. Il m'a donne son couer He gave me his heart en echange du mien... in exchange for mine... Et si quelqu'un dit And if anyone says qu'il me fuit e m'oublie, that he has left me and forgotten me, n'en croyez rien! I do not believe it! Non, Hamlet est mon epoux No, Hamlet is my bridegroom e moi je suis Ophelie. and I am Ophelia.

S'il trahissait sa foi, If he should betray me now, j'en perdrais la raison! I would lose my reason!

Partagez-vous mes fleurs! Share my flowers! A toi cette humble branche For you, this humble branch de romarin sauvage. of wild rosemary. A toi cette pervenche For your, this periwinkle.

Et maintenant ecoutez ma chanson! And now, listen to my song!

Pale et blonde dors sous l'eau profonde Pale and fair, sleeping under the water, La Willis au regard de feu! La Willis, with the firey gaze! Que Dieu garde celui May God protect anyone qui s'attarde dans la nuit, who loiters at night au bord du Lac bleu! by the shores of the blue lake! Heureuse l'epouse aux bras de l'epoux! Happy wife in the arms of her groom! Mon ame et jalouse d'un bonheur si doux! My soul is jealous of such a sweet happiness! Nymphe au regard de feu, helas! Nymph with the firey gaze, alas! tu dors sous les eaux du Lac bleu! you sleep under the waters of the blue lake! La sirene passe et vous entraine The Siren passes and drags you sous l'azur du Lac endormi. under the blue of the sleepy lake.

L'air se voile, adieu! blanche etoile! The air is veiled, goodbye, white stars, adieu ciel, adieu doux ami! goodbye sky, goodbye sweet friend! Heureuse l'epouse aux bras de l'epoux! Happy wife in the arms of her groom! Mon ame et jalouse d'un bonheur si doux! My soul is jealous of such a sweet happiness!

Sous les flots endormi, Under the sleepy tide, ah, pour toujours, adieu, mon doux ami! ah, forever, goodbye my sweet friend! Ah, cher epoux, ah, cher amant! Ah, dearest groom, dearest love! Ah, doux aveu!, ah, tendre serment! Ah, sweet vow, tender oath! Bonheur supreme! Happiness supreme! Ah, cruel, je t'aime! Ah, cruel one, I love you! Ah, cruel, tu voix mes pleurs! Ah, cruel one, you see my tears! Pour toi je meurs! For you I die!