Dinara Alieva Pace Mio Dio

Dinara Alieva Pace mio Dio...

Marcello Rota, conductor Czech National Symphony Orchestra 1 0 13491 34662 9 DINARA ALIEVA Pace, mio Dio….

“She is a wonder!” Monserrat Caballé “Beautiful voice, temperament and artistry.” Teresa Berganza

VERDI: Sempre libera • Addio del passato • Tacea la notte • D’amor sull’ ali rosee • Pace, pace mio Dio

PUCCINI: Vissi d’arte • O mio babbino caro • Un bel di vedremo • Chi il bel sogno di Doretta • Tu che di gel sei cinta

CILEA: Io son l’umile ancella • CATALANI: Ebben? Ne andró

LEONCAVALLO: Qual !amma avea nel guardo!

Total Playing Time: 62:11

Czech National Symphony Orchestra Marcello Rota, conductor

1. VERDI: “E strano!...Sempre libera” (La Traviata) (7:26) 2 VERDI: “Addio del passato” (La Traviata) (7:10) 3. PUCCINI: “Vissi d’arte” (La Tosca) (3:25) 4. PUCCINI: “O mio babbino caro” (Gianni Schicchi) (2:30)

5. PUCCINI: “Un bel di vedremo” (4:46) 6. PUCCINI: “Chi il bel sogno di Doretta” (La Rondine) (2:56) 7. PUCCINI: “Tu che di gel sei cinta” (Turandot) (2:56)

8. CATALANI: “Ebben? Ne andró lontana” (3:54) 9. CILEA: “Io son l’umile ancella” (Adriana Lecouvreur) (3:36)

10. LEONCAVALLO: “Qual !amma avea nel guardo!” (5:03) 11. VERDI: “Tacea la notte placida” (5:47) 12. VERDI: “D’amor sull’ ali rosee” (6:08) 13. VERDI: “Pace, pace mio Dio” (6:06) Total Playing Time: 62:11

Marcello Rota, conductor Czech National Symphony Orchestra 2 Svyatoslav Igorevich Belza (b. 1942) is one of Russia’s most prominent all-around arts scholars, active from the Soviet era forward as a highly respected literary and music critic and journalist. Since the late 1980s, he has been a leading television producer, writer and presenter of special projects and programs designed to pop- ularize classical music, opera, ballet and theatre. Belza can claim the distinction of being a People’s Artist of Russia, and he is an honorary member of the Russian Academy of Arts. His comments about the rising star soprano Dinara Alieva are immediately below, followed by this author’s notes plus texts and translations.

ASCENDING TO OPERA’S MOUNT OLYMPUS

“!ere is just as much diversity in human voices as there is in human faces. !is diversity … is a hundred times more notice- able when it comes to song.” !is was the assertion made by Stendhal, a true lover of music. What we treasure above all, in any artist, is striking individuality and a facial expression that is out of the ordinary, while in a vocalist we also value the uniqueness and richness of the voice’s timbre. 3 It is these qualities – prerequisites in this Her soprano – of rare beauty and strength day and age for those wishing to become – could not go unnoticed by the famous successful opera singers – that Dinara Alie- opera houses. In 2009, Dinara Alieva va has in abundance. As is the fashion now- joined Russia’s Bolshoi "eatre as a solo- adays, she combines an irresistible, mod- ist, making her debut as Liù in Puccini’s el-like appearance with a talent that has Turandot. Her repertoire steadily grew, as been described by the discerning Montser- she took on roles such as Tatiana in Eu- rat Caballé as “a gi! from Heaven.” gene Onegin, Violetta in La Traviata, Don- na Elvira in Don Giovanni, Musetta in La All God-given talents, much like jewels, Bohème, Leonora in Il Trovatore, Micaëla require exquisite faceting. Dinara Alieva in Carmen, Marfa in !e Tsar’s Bride, Ned- was blessed with good training. Born in da in Pagliacci, and many others. Dinara the capital of Azerbaijan, Baku, she grad- Alieva was invited to perform at the Vien- uated from the Hajibeyov Baku Academy na State Opera, the Deutsche Oper Berlin, of Music and embarked on a career at the the Alte Oper in Frankfurt am Main, the Akhundov Azerbaijan State Academic Latvian National Opera in Riga, the Opera "eater of Opera and Ballet, where she Stuttgart of the Stuttgart State "eater, and performed some of the lead roles in op- the Mikhaylovsky "eatre in Saint Peters- eratic masterpieces by Giuseppe Verdi, burg. Giacomo Puccini and Ruggero Leonca- vallo. She honed her skills at master class- With her diverse chamber programs, Di- es led by such illustrious opera singers as nara Alieva has performed at opera houses Caballé and Elena Obraztsova. Dinara and concert halls in Russia, Italy, France, Alieva’s natural gi!s, coupled with her re- Greece, the Czech Republic, Monte Carlo, lentless hard work and determination, en- the United States, and Japan, and has tak- abled her to garner awards at prestigious en part in a host of festivals. In 2010, Baku international contests held in Baku, Saint hosted a concert which featured her per- Petersburg, Athens, Barcelona and Milan. forming alongside the world-famous ten- She was later awarded the honorary title or Plácido Domingo. Another renowned Distinguished Artist of Azerbaijan. operatic tenor – José Cura – has taken to 4 the stage as her conductor. Many other distinguished maestros, including Yuri Temirkanov, Vladimir Fedoseyev, Vlad- imir Spivakov, Yuri Bashmet, Giuseppe Sabbatini and Marcello Rota are only too happy to work alongside her.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart once said: “I love it when an aria suits a singer like a beautifully tailored dress.” Owing to her magni!cent voice and artistry, Dinara Alieva is able to switch easily between her various on-stage “dresses.” In addition to the heroines of classical opera, she has also played Rosalinde in a production by the Bolshoi "eater of Johann Strauss’s Die Fledermaus ("e Bat), while her concert programs include works in a vari- ety of genres, ranging from Russian and Azerbaijani folk songs and operatic arias to romantic ballads and jazz numbers.

Dinara Alieva’s success thus far has been impressive, but I think her greatest achievements are still to come. She is slowly but surely ascending to the Mount Olympus of the opera world. As Liu in “Turandot” — Svyatoslav Belza Bolshoi Theater Photo: Damir Yousupov

5 As Leonora in “II Biographic Addendum: Trovatore” Stadtheater. Klagenfurt, Austria Dinara’s already impressive repertoire encompasses a wide range of concert, chamber music and recital programs that include larger non-operatic works with orchestra – as well as more intimate programs of Lieder and vocal miniatures including the cycles of Tchaikovsky, Rachmanino!, Schumann, Schubert, Brahms, Wolf, Villa-Lobos and Fauré. Her penchant for the jazz idiom extends to Gershwin’s operatic arias and songs. A tireless champion of her home province’s musical culture, her programs o"en include the works of Azerbaijani composers and regional folksongs.

Her lifelong immersion in music includ- ed teenage years as a pianist before she turned her full attention to vocal studies.

Readers who wish to peruse more ex- haustively detailed coverage of Dinara’s career and accomplishments are invited to consult the comprehensive biography to be found at her website: http://dinaraalieva.com.

6 In the early 1850s, with most of Italy (and E strano! E strano! much of the rest of Europe) still ruled by In core scolpiti ho quegli accenti! royalty, Giuseppe Verdi sought an opera Saria per me sventura un serio amore? subject that would avoid the kinds of cen- Che risolvi, o turbata anima mia? sorship problems that Rigoletto (about a Null’uomo ancora t’accendeva… womanizing nobleman) had su!ered Oh, gioia – and that would provoke his audience Ch’io non conobbi, without pushing the political envelope Esser amata amando! too far. He settled on a story based upon E sdegnarla poss’io Alexandre Dumas’ novel, La Dame aux Per l’aride follie del viver mio? Camellias, weaving in then-contempo- rary elements like festive waltzes and a Ah, fors’e lui che l’anima graphically tragic bout with tuberculo- Solinga ne’tumulti sis to modernize the genre. Whatever its Godea sovente pingere formula, La Traviata immediately struck De’suoi colom occulti the public’s fancy, and has remained one Lui, che modesto e vigile. of Verdi’s top favorites ever since. Its trag- All’egre soglie ascese, ic heroine, the courtesan Violetta – hav- E nuova febbre accese ing encountered Alfredo’s unwavering Destandomi all’amor! passion for her early on – at "rst shrugs it o! despite her reciprocal love for him. In A quell’amor ch’e palpito “E strano!...Sempre libera,” perhaps in Dell’universo intero, denial of her worsening illness, she sings Misterioso, altero of her troubling attraction to him, then Croce e delizia al cor. gives in to the more bacchanalian plea- Follie! Delirio vano e questo! sures of life, valuing freedom over love. Povera donna, sola, abbandonata #is is the last time she’ll claim such an In quest popoloso deserto attitude. Che appellano parigi Che spero or piu? Che far degg’io? Gioire! 7 Di volutta ne’vortici perir! !is man so watchful, yet modest, Gioir! Who haunted my sickbed And turned my fever Sempre libera degg’io Into a burning "ame of love! Folleggiare di gioia in gioia, Vo’che scorra il viver mio !at love, Pei sentieri del piacer. !e pulse of the whole world, Nasca il giorno, o il giorno muoia, Mysterious, unattainable, Sempre lieta ne’ritrovi, !e torment and delight of my heart. A diletti sempre nuovi It’s madness. It’s empty delirium! Dee volare il mio pensier A poor, lonely woman Oh! Oh! Amore! Abandoned in this teeming desert Follie! !ey call Paris! Gioir! What can I hope? What should I do? How strange it is... how strange! Enjoy myself? !ose words are carved upon my heart! Drown myself in pleasure’s whirlpool! Would true love bring me misfortune? Enjoy myself! What do you think, o my troubled spirit? Free and aimless No man before ignited this kind of "ame. I must "utter Oh, joy… I never knew… From pleasure to pleasure, To love and be loved! Skimming the surface Of life’s primrose Can I scorn this path. For a life of sterile pleasure? As each day dawns, Was this the man my heart, As each day dies, Alone in a crowd, Gaily I turn to new delights O#en delighted to paint !at make my spirit soar. In vague, mysterious colors? 8 Violetta – a!er a joyful country idyll with With Placido Domingo. Buta Palace. Baku May 2010 Alfredo – is persuaded by Germont, his father, to separate from him for his family’s sake. Finally, as Violetta is dying of tuberculosis at home, she receives a letter from Germont, explaining that Alfredo had learned of her sacri"ce for him – earlier misunderstood as betrayal – and that he is on his way to reunite with her. Violetta realizes that she is too far gone to rise to Alfredo’s reinstated love. Ex- pressing sage if frank sentiments about mortality in “Addio del passato,” she bids nostalgic farewell to her former joy and happiness, her voice dripping for- lorn heartbreak; she now hopes only for a comfortable passing into God’s arms – and, a!er a brief reunion with Alfredo, her wish is granted as she falls lifeless.

“Teneste la promessa... la dis"da Ebbe luogo! il barone fu ferito, Però migliora Alfredo È in stranio suolo; il vostro sacri"zio Io stesso gli ho svelato; Egli a voi tornerà pel suo perdono; Io pur verrò. Curatevi... meritate Un avvenir migliore. - Giorgio Germont”. 9 Wiener Staatsoper. As Elvira in “Don Giovanni” A lei, deh, perdona; tu accoglila, o Dio, (With Pavol Breslik) Or tutto !nì.

Le gioie, i dolori tra poco avran !ne, La tomba ai mortali di tutto è con!ne! Non lagrima o !ore avrà la mia fossa, Non croce col nome che copra quest’ossa! Ah, della traviata sorridi al desio; A lei, deh, perdona; tu accoglila, o Dio. Or tutto !nì!

“You have kept your promise... the duel Took place! "e baron was wounded, But he is improving. Alfredo Is on foreign soil; your sacri!ce I myself have revealed to him; He is returning to request your pardon; I will also come. Take care of yourself... You deserve A better future. È tardi! - Giorgio Germont”. Attendo, attendo né a me giungon mai! . . . It is too late! Oh, come son mutata! I wait, but they never come! Oh, how I’ve Ma il dottore a sperar pure m’esorta! changed! Ah, con tal morbo ogni speranza è morta. But the doctor encourages me to hope as well! Addio, del passato bei sogni ridenti, Ah, with this disease, all hope is dead. Le rose del volto già son pallenti; Farewell, happy dreams of the past, L’amore d’Alfredo pur esso mi manca, "e roses in my cheeks have faded; Conforto, sostegno dell’anima stanca I also miss Alfredo’s love Ah, della traviata sorridi al desio; 10 Comfort, support for my tired soul to the otherwise unlikely characters. Ah, smile at the desire of the forsaken In Puccini’s hands, the character of the woman; singer Floria Tosca – despite her initial To her, oh, grant forgiveness; welcome sweetly serene nature – becomes cred- her, O God, ible; not just as a vehicle for stunningly Now it is all over. dramatic vocal virtuosity, but in her fu- Joys and sorrows alike will soon end, rious outrage at the injustice of her situa- !e tomb ends everything for mortals! tion, with her lover Caravadossi awaiting My grave will have no tear or "ower, execution and the lecherous Scarpia (his No cross with a name to cover these captor) pursuing her relentlessly. In her bones! Act 2 aria, “Vissi d’arte,” she miserably Ah, smile at the desire of the forsaken bemoans her bitter circumstances, ask- woman; ing God what she has done to deserve Grant forgiveness, oh God, and welcome the misfortune of arch-villain Scarpia’s her; manipulative advances – whom she soon It is all over now. murders, hoping she can now escape to a better life with Caravadossi. But a#er $nding that he has been executed any- If you are at all moved by the character of way, she – in one of opera’s most spectac- Tosca, it’s not because of the way Victo- ular suicides – "ings herself o% the par- rien Sardou originally characterized her apet of Castel Sant’Angelo to her death. in La Tosca, the play on which Giacomo Puccini based his famous opera of the Vissi d’arte, vissi d’amore, same title. A#er another composer had Non feci mai male ad anima viva! turned his nose up at the project, Puc- Con man furtiva cini took it on, putting his librettists to Quante miserie conobbi, aiutai... work on revising it while he completed Sempre con fè sincera La Bohème. In addition to the "owing La mia preghiera lyrical beauty for which the composer Ai santi tabernacoli sali. is treasured, he added signature themes, Sempre con fè sincera, or leitmotifs, to lend increased substance 11 Diedi !ori agl’altar. Gianni Schicchi – Puccini’s single-act Nell’ora del dolore comic opera – presents the hilarious sto- Perchè, perchè Signore, ry of the shenanigans surrounding an Perchè me ne rimuneri così? aristocratic family, which – upon learn- Diedi gioieili della Madonna al manto, ing that their just-deceased patriarch has E diedi il canto agli astri, al ciel, bequeathed his entire estate to a monas- Che ne ridean più belli. tery – sets out to change his will to their Nell’ora del dolor bene!t before anyone in town realizes he’s Perchè, perchè Signor, dead. To pull o% the fraudulent will, the Ah, perchè me ne rimuneri cosi? family beseeches local con man Gianni Schicchi to impersonate the deceased. I live for art, I live for love, Schicchi, initially disgusted by the family’s "us was my art truly inspired! greed, agrees to do it only a$er his daugh- I brought sweet consolation ter, Lauretta, delivers “O mio babbino To the poor, the unhappy ... caro,” one of the opera world’s best-loved Always with deep emotion soprano arias. In this meltingly beautiful Did I pour out my true devotion and heartfelt outpouring of a woman in To the glory of God. love (but who still loves her “dear Daddy,” With deepest devotion, too), she announces her intention to mar- I brought #owers to adorn his altar. ry Rinuccio, one of the family members, But now, in my hour of despair… telling her father that she’ll throw herself Why, why, O Lord, into the Arno river below the Ponte Vec- Why is this my reward? chio if Schicchi won’t allow the marriage. I laid on your altar my worldly gi$s; "e disguised Schicchi then proceeds to I never hesitated to sing verbally alter the will from his “deathbed” Of Your boundless greatness. before public witnesses, but – to the fami- So now, in my time of despair ly’s helpless consternation – he bequeaths Why, why, O Lord, everything to “my dear friend, Gianni Why is this my reward? Schicchi,” thereby insuring his daughter’s (and his own) prosperous future! 12 O mio babbino caro, As Violetta in “La Traviata” Mi piace, è bello, bello; Vo’andare in Porta Rossa A comperar l’anello! Sì, sì, ci voglio andare! E se l’amassi indarno Andrei sul Ponte Vecchio, Ma per buttarmi in Arno! Mi struggo e mi tormento. O Dio, vorrei morir! Babbo, pietà pietà!

Oh, my dearest papa, I love him, he is so handsome; I want to go to Porta Rosa To buy the wedding ring! Yes, yes, I want to go! If my love is not returned, I’ll go to the Ponte Vecchio (yet ultimately tragic) love, as expressed And throw myself into the Arno! in one of Puccini’s most famous and mov- I am so distressed and in such pain. ing arias, “Un bel di vedremo.” She waits Oh God, I could die! faithfully for Pinkerton, her American Papa, take pity on me, please! naval o#cer husband, three years a!er he has married, then abandoned her in Ja- Puccini immediately began working on pan and her family has disowned her for Madama Butter!y a!er seeing David embracing his religion. Butter"y (AKA Belasco’s play by the same name in 1900, Cio-cio-san), who has borne his child, though he didn’t receive the rights for sings ecstatically of an imaginary scene in more than a year. Perhaps he was attract- which Pinkerton returns as he had prom- ed to Butter"y’s unwavering and hopeful ised. A!er looking to the ocean to see his 13 As Musetta in “La Bohème” Sull’estremo con#n del mare. E poi la nave appare- Poi la nave bianca Entra nel porto, romba II suo saluto. Vedi? E venuto! Io non gli scendo incontro. Io no. Mi metto là Sul ciglio del colle e aspetto, E aspetto gran tempo E non mi pesa La lunga attesa. E ... uscito dalla folia cittadina Un uom, un picciol punto S’avvia per la collina. Chi sarà? chi sarà? ship arrive, she patiently waits for him E come sarà giunto to ascend the mountain to her dwelling, Che dirà? che dirà? where he will call her “dear little wife, bou- Chiamera “Butter"y!” quet of verbena” like he did before. Note Dalla lontana. how the aria shi!s between gentle reverie Io senza dar risposta and staggering dramatic power. She lat- Me ne starò nascosta, er discovers Pinkerton has returned, but Un po’ per celia with his American wife – who wishes to E un po’ per non morir take Butter"y’s child – whereupon she AI primo incontro, shuts herself away in her room and com- Ed egli alquanro in pena mits suicide with her father’s dagger just as Chiamerà, chiamerà: Pinkerton arrives, calling her name. “Piccina mogliettina, Olezzo di verbena!” Un bel di vedremo I nomi che mi dava Levarsi un #l di fumo 14 Al suo venire. Will stay hidden, Tutto quesro avverrà, Partly to tease him, Te lo prometto. And partly so I won’t die Tienti la tua paura, When we meet. Io con sicura fede I’aspetto. And, now a little worried, He’ll call, One !ne day we will see “Dear little wife, A wisp of smoke arising Bouquet of verbena,” On the sea’s far horizon, "e names he called me before And then the ship will appear. When he was here. "en the white ship And this will all happen, Will sail into the harbor, I promise you. "undering a salute. Don’t be afraid, Don’t you see it? With absolute faith I’ll wait for him. He has returned! I’ll not go down to meet him, No, I’ll stand there In 1913, the directors of Vienna’s Carlthe- At the hill’s crest and wait; ater asked Puccini to write an operetta; I’ll wait for a long time, he agreed, but stipulated that the project But the wait be a through-composed comic opera, Won’t seem long. something “like Rosenkavalier, only more And emerging from the crowd entertaining.” Puccini revised it exten- A man - a tiny !gure - sively, eventually leaving us three di$erent Will begin to climb the hill. versions, of which the third is most o%en Who could it be? performed today. Long ignored, many op- And when he gets here, era bu$s now consider La Rondine to be a What will he say? neglected masterpiece that’s at last getting “Butter#y!” – he’ll call the attention it deserves. "e !rst act opens From the distance. with Prunier – a poet at an elegant party I, not answering, in mid-19th-century Paris – expounding 15 on sentimental love. As almost everyone Ah! mia vita! mocks his ideas, the courtesan Magda (the Che importa la ricchezza party’s hostess) listens as the poet illustrates Se al"ne è ri"orita his point with a story about Doretta, who La felicità! chooses the man she loves over a king who O sogno d’or, loves her. In “Chi il bel sogno di Doretta,” Poter amar così! Magda sings a fantasy-ridden and spon- taneous second verse to his story, about a Who could ever imagine woman who falls in love with her student: Doretta’s beautiful dream? “Who cares for wealth if at last happiness How did her mystery end? !ourishes?” And, as the opera unfolds, she Alas! One day a student indeed has a romantic !ing with a young- Kissed her lips er man: one that ends unhappily for him, And this kiss when she abandons him in the end. Was a revelation: It was passion! Chi il bel sogno di Doretta Full of love! Potè indovinar? Intoxicating! Il suo mister come mai Who could resist Come mai "ni? #e subtle caress Ahimè! un giorno uno studente Of such an ardent kiss? In bocca la baciò Ah! My dream! E fu quel bacio Ah! My life! Rivelazione: What do I care about wealth Fu la passione! If happiness "nally blooms! Folle amore! Ah, golden dream, Folle ebbrezza! To be able to love like that! Chi la sottil carezza D’un bacio cosi ardente In Puccini’s tale of the beautiful, but cold Mai ridir potrà? and imperious Chinese princess Turan- Ah! mio sogno! dot, her noble suitors are being behead- 16 ed one by one for their failure to answer Perchè egli vinca ancora… three riddles that she poses to them. “!e Per non vederlo più! unknown Prince” (Calaf) is enamored by You, who are sheathed in ice, her beauty, and "nally wins her hand in When such a #ame overcomes it, marriage by answering all three riddles. You will love him, even you! But he gives the reluctant princess a way By tomorrow morning, out, telling her that he, too, will go will- My weary eyes will close, ingly to his death if she can guess his name So that he’ll again be victorious ... before dawn. Liu – a slave girl in love with And I’ll never see him again! Calaf – knows his name, but won’t reveal it even under torture, or to forestall her own Debuting at La Scala in 1892 – a year be- imminent death. In her aria, “Tu che di fore Puccini’s Manon Lescaut – La Wally, gel sei cinta,” she sings to Turandot – in by Alfredo Catalani, is rarely performed resigned but resolute tones – that she, too, nowadays, though this aria – “Ebben? Ne will fall in love with Calaf, though she re- andró lontana” – remains popular on its sists him now: “You, who are sheathed in As Violetta in “La Traviata” ice – when such a #ame overcomes it, You will love him, even you!” Liu then grabs a guard’s dagger, and kills herself. Note the whi$s of Asian pentatonic tonalities here: Puccini’s not-entirely-convincing, yet still attractive attempt to emulate Chinese sound according to the stereotypical no- tions of the day.

Tu, che di gel sei cinta, Da tanta "amma vinta I’amerai anche tu! Prima di questa aurora, Io chiudo stanca gli occhi, 17 As Rosalinda in “Die Fledermaus” at the Bolshoi Theatre

18 own. !is so-called “peasant romance,” Fra la neve bianca: set in the Tyrolean Alps, tells the tragic N’ andrò, n’ andrò sola e lontana .. tale of Wally, who loves her father’s ene- E fra Ie nubi d’ôr! my, Hagenbach. A jealous suitor, Gell- ner, observes her obvious a"ection for Well? I’ll go far away, his rival and tells her father, who angrily As far as the church bell’s echo. insists that she marry Gellner, or leave !ere in the midst of the white snow! home. Choosing the latter, she heads to !ere in the midst of the golden clouds, an isolated mountain life, a#er singing Where hope becomes regret and sorrow. this stirring and justly famous aria: a bleak and heartbroken farewell to her mother’s Ah, my mother’s cheerful house, Wally is cheerful house, perhaps never to return. going far In the end, the lovers – reconciled at last Away from you, perhaps never to return. in a mountain wilderness – die spectacu- You will see her no more, no more! lar (and nearly impossible to stage) deaths when Hagenbach is swept away in an av- I will go alone, as far alanche, and Wally throws herself into the As the church bell’s echo, thundering snow a#er him! !ere in the midst of the white snow. Ebben! Ne andrò lontana I will go alone, far away, Come va I’eco della pia campana là, In the midst of the golden clouds! Fra la neve bianca! Là, fra Ie nuhi d’ôr, Laddove fa speranza, è rimpianto, è dolor. When Francesco Cilea’s successful L’a r- O della madre mia casa gioconda. lesiana prompted the commissioning La Wally ne andrà da te lontana assai, of another opera, the result was Adri- E forse a te non farà mai più ritorno ana Lecouvreur: a story so popular for Nè più la rivedrai! Mai più. Mai più. its comic/tragic mixture and moving (if far-fetched) $nal act that three other Ne andrò sola e lantana composers set the same story – though Come I’eco della pia campana là, their e"orts have long since been forgot- 19 ten. !e opera begins with a classic play I am the humble servant of the creative within a play, with actors and actresses genius whose own curtain is about to rise, fea- Who gives me the words in$ame the soul. turing the actress Adriana and her rival, I am only the accent of his verse, Duclos. !e Prince of Bouillon arrives !e echo of human drama, to wish them luck, to which the dedi- !e fragile instrument on which he plays, cated artist Adriana replies – in “Io son Tender, joyful, savage, my name is Faith- l’umile ancella” – that she is only a ves- ful. sel for the creative spirit: “I’m the echo of My voice is a sigh that will die tomorrow. human drama … Tender, joyful, savage, my name is Faithful. Despite the complex !e theme of acting continues with a and confusing plot that follows – and the choice aria from I Pagliacci: perhaps heroine’s unlikely “death by poisoned vi- the most famous example of an operat- olets” in the end – the opera has retained ic play within a play. Ruggero Leonca- its foothold in the modern repertoire. vallo’s only lasting contribution to the !e stunning appeal of this aria will only repertoire, the opera’s clever plot never begin to tell you why. fails to beguile audiences with its stage parallels and double meanings. A%er Ecco: respiro appena. an acting troupe arrives at the location Io son I’umile ancella for their show one night, villagers tease Del Genio creator Canio – the troupe’s leader – about the Ei m’o"re la favella, [io] la di"ondo al cor. not-so-secret intention of Silvio (another Del verso io son I’accento, troupe member) to have an a"air with his L’eco del dramma uman, wife, Nedda. Canio explains that, though Il fragile strumento vassallo della man. the character he is playing is a foolish Mite gioconda, atroce. mi chiamo, Fedeltà, and clueless husband, he himself would Un sa#o è la mia voce, che al novo dì not tolerate such behavior. When Canio morrà. retires to the tavern, the unfaithful Ned- See, I’m hardly breathing… da – in her aria, “Qual !amma avea nel guardo!” – expresses her alarm and fore- 20 boding at the look in her husband’s eyes when he says such things. But she pushes her fear aside as she watches birds soar- ing above, wishing for freedom – which she gets at the opera’s conclusion, when Canio – still “in character” – kills her in a jealous rage, and then announces to the shocked crowd: “!e comedy is "n- ished!”

Qual "amma avea nel guardo! Gli occhi abbassai per tema ch’ei leggesse Il mio pensier segreto! Oh! s’ei mi sorprendesse... Bruttale come egli è! Ma basti, orvia. Son questi sogni paurosi e fole! O che bel sole di mezz’agosto! Io son piena di vita, E, tutta illanguidita per arcano desìo, Non so che bramo! (Guardando in cielo) Oh! che volo d’augelli, E quante strida! Che chiedon? dove van? chissà! La mamma mia, Che la buona ventura annunziava, Comprendeva il lor canto E a me bambina così cantava: Hui! Hui! With Jose Cura. Kremlin Palace June 2012 21 As Musetta in “La Bohème” at the Bolshoi Theatre

22 Stridono lassù, liberamente Oh! What a $ight of birds, what a din! Lanciati a vol, a vol come frecce, gli What are they looking for? augel. Where are they going? Who knows? Dis!dano le nubi e il sol cocente, My mother could see the future, E vanno, e vanno per le vie del ciel. And understood their songs; she sang Lasciateli vagar per l’atmosfera, Songs like these to me when I was a little Questi assetati d’azzurro e di splendor: girl. Seguono anch’essi un sogno, una chi- Hui! How wild their cries up there, mera, As they $y freely, like arrows! E vanno, e vanno fra le nubi d’or! #ey defy storm clouds and sun alike! Che incalzi il vento e latri la tempesta, As they $y through the sky, Con l’ali aperte san tutto s!dar; Seeking light, air and splendor, La pioggia i lampi, nulla mai li arresta, Let them go their way, for they E vanno, e vanno sugli abissi e i mar. Also follow a dream and a vision, Vanno laggiù verso un paese strano Flying ever onward through golden Che sognan forse e che cercano in van. clouds. Ma i boèmi del ciel, seguon l’arcano Let winds shake them and storms toss poter them, Che li sospinge... e van! e van! e van! e #ey confront everything with open van! wings; Neither rain nor lightning deters them, Such !re in his gaze! Neither sea nor gorge dismays them. I looked away, lest As they $y on, they seek a mysterious He read my deepest thoughts. land. Oh! If he caught me o" guard, A land they have dreamed of, As brutal as he is! But enough of that, But that they may never !nd… #ese are just bad dreams and silliness. Wanderers of the sky, answering only Oh, how lovely is the Midsummer sun! To the inner power that drives them I’m full of life, dreamy with desire, onward. But I don’t know what I’m yearning for! 23 Begun as a sequel to Rigoletto, Il Tro- La luna il viso argenteo vatore turned out to be one of Verdi’s Mostrava lieto e pieno... most exotic (and complex) operatic Quando suonar per l’ aere, stories – also one of his all-time smash In!no allor sì muto, hits! It opens outside Spain’s royal gates Dolci s’ udiro e #ebili with a group of soldiers keeping watch Gli accordi di un liuto, for Count di Luna’s foe, a mysterious E versi melanconici knight-troubadour who is leading a re- Un Trovator cantò. bellion against him. To keep the drowsy Versi di prece ed umile soldiers awake, the captain of the guard Qual d’ uom che prega Iddio tells a story about a gypsy woman who In quella ripeteasi supposedly burned the Count’s brother Un nome...il nome mio! to death in retribution for her own moth- Corsi al veron sollecita... er’s execution; though the Count is not Egli era! Egli era desso!... convinced and continues to search for Gioia provai che agli angeli the woman. Within the gates, Leonora – Solo è provar concesso!... Lady-in-waiting to the Princess – awaits Al core, al guardo estatico the return of Manrico, the troubadour, La terra un ciel sembrò. telling her friend she is in love with him. In “Tacea la notte placida,” she sings ec- Di tale amor che dirsi statically about the !rst time she heard Mal può dalla parola him sing what she thought was a prayer, D’amor che intendo io sola, becoming jubilant once she realized the Il cor s’inebriò! song was in praise of her rather than Il nio destino compiersi God. When Manrico appears, "e Count Non può che a lui dapresso… – who also loves Leonora – confronts S’io non vivrò per esso him and challenges him to a duel. Per esso io morirò "e night was calm and quiet Tacea la notte placida And the silvery moon – E bella in ciel sereno Beautiful in the peaceful sky 24 Showed her full and happy face... their duel – has captured both the trou- Suddenly, the stillness of the night badour and Azucena, the gypsy woman Was broken by thought to have killed his brother; he So!, sweet harmony. throws them in prison. Leonora comes to To the notes of a lute, the prison in disguise and, knowing her A troubador sang beloved has been condemned to death, A melancholy song. sings “D’amor sull’ ali rosee” – an exqui- "ose humble verses site prayer for his salvation, hoping the Were like a man praying to God. wind will carry her pained sighs to him And in that song, and give him strength. In the end, Leono- A name was repeated...my own! So I rushed to the balcony... "ere he was! It was him! I felt a joy that only angels Are allowed to feel! To my heart, to my joyful eyes, "e earth seemed like Paradise.

A love that can Hardly be put into words, A love that only I can understand, Such a love intoxicates my heart! My destiny will be ful#lled Only at his side I will live only for him, Or, for his sake, I will die!

With Teresa Berganza "e Count – whose life was spared when “Dinara Alieva is a unique phenomenon: the brilliant alloy Manrico (actually his long-lost brother) of a beautiful voice, temperament and artistry. She has a could not bring himself to kill him in brilliant future.” Teresa Berganza 25 With Montserrat Caballé Timor di me ?...Sicura, “She is a wonder! Dinara Alieva is a natural talent and I ha- ven’t got anything to teach her. The singer who possesses Presta è la mia difesa. the gift of Heaven!” Montserrat Caballé In quest’ oscura Notte ravvolta, presso a te io son, E tu nol sai...Gemente Aura che intorno spiri, Deh, pietosa gli arreca I miei sospiri...

D’ amor sull’ ali rosee Vanne, sospir dolente: Del prigioniero misero Conforta l’ egra mente... Com’ aura di speranza Aleggia in quella stanza: Lo desta alle memorie, Ai sogni dell’amor! Ma deh! non dirgli improvvido, le pene del mio cor!Go … ra !nally thwarts the Count’s unwelcome Leave me, and don’t fear for me. advances by taking poison … and Manri- Perhaps I can save him. co is executed as Azucena cries, in venge- Afraid of me?...for sure, ful triumph, that the Count has killed his My defense is ready! own brother! Both of these glorious Tro- Wrapped in the dark night, vatore arias are supreme examples of the I am near you, Verdi soprano’s art. But you don’t know it...

Vanne, Lasciami, Wailing wind, in your mercy, Né timor di me ti prenda… Carry my sighs to him... Salvarlo io potrò forse.

26 On the rosy wings of love, unfolds over a bed of harp-tones, before Fly, pained sighs: rising – in desperate supplication – to its Go to comfort the troubled mind spine-tingling climax. God is then quick Like a breeze of hope. to grant her wish as she dies violently by Linger in that room: her mortally wounded brother’s hand. Waken him to remembrance Pace, pace, mio Dio! Of love’s dreams! Cruda sventura Yet do not rashly M’astringe, ahimè a languir; Reveal my heart’s anguish! Come iI di primo Da tant’anni dura Yet another Leonora comes to the fore in Profondo il mio so%rir. La Forza Del Destino: a somewhat odd L’amai, gil è ver! conglomeration of ideas uncommon to Verdi’s stage works, making it something of an operatic mosaic. !e episodic plot encompasses a wide geography and time- span, and the musical traditions in the opera itself derive from a diverse pool of conventions. !e plot is driven by fate, an uncharacteristically abstract concept for Verdi. Caught up in a love-hate triangle involving her brother and her lover, Le- onora appears in the "nal act a#er "ve years of living in a cave as a hermit, hav- ing been separated from her family and lover. In “Pace, pace mio dio,” she pleads for the peace that has eluded her all these years; she prays fervently for death. With Elena Obraztsova Abruptly introduced by the orchestra’s “Her voice is beautiful, rich in nuances and amazingly “fate” theme, the exquisite melodic $ow diverse in timbres. An instrument worthy of the highest appreciation.” Elena Obraztsova 27 Ma di beltà e valore Past sins have kept us apart! Cotanto Iddio I’ornò, Alvaro, I love you, but heaven has Che I’amo ancor, decreed Nè togliermi dal core "at we shall never meet again! L’immagin sua saprò. Oh God, God, let me die; Fatalità! Fatalltà! Fatalità! For only then will I know peace. Un delitto disgiunti n’ha quaggiù! My soul, In vain, seeks peace Alvaro, io t’amo, In the midst of such misery. E su nel cielo è scritto: Oh cursed bread, which only prolongs Non ti vedrò mai più! "is miserable existence ... Oh Dio, Dio, fa ch’io muoia; But … who goes there? Che la calma può darmi morte sol. Who dares to desecrate this sacred Invan la pace qui sperò quest’alma place? In preda a tanto duol, A curse upon him! Misero pane, a prolungarmi vieni La sconsolata vita ... Ma chi giunge? — Leah Harrison and Lindsay Koob Chi profanare ardisce il sacro loco? Maledizione! Maledizione! Maledizione! Peace, peace, O God! Cruel misfortune has driven me to despair. Right from the start of these hard years I have su!ered wretchedly. Truly, I loved him! But God blessed him with Such grace and virtue that I still love him, And cannot keep him out of my thoughts. Oh fate! Oh cruel fate! 28 Marcello Rota´s opera repertoire in- cludes more than thirty works with particular emphasis on Rossini, Bellini, Donizetti, Verdi and Puccini. Marcello Rota has been principal guest conductor of the Czech National Symphony Orchestra since 2004. He has recently appeared with this orchestra on the recordings for JVC Victor Entertainment, in the Prague Proms Festival, and accompanying An- drea Bocelli in concerts in over forty cultural centers throughout the world. Following studies in Alessandria with Giacomo Zoppi in French horn, and with Felice Quaranta in composition, Rota continued conducting studies with Igor Markevitch and Franco Ferrara at the Chigiana Academy of Siena.

Conducting all of the greatest Italian orchestras, he has been a frequent guest on the world’s most prestigious stages including the Concertgebouw, La Scala, Musikhalle Hamburg, Filharmoniehalle (Munich, Berlin, Mannheim), Royal Albert Hall, Festival Opera Hall (Wexford), and Palais des Beaux Arts (Brussels). He has conducted many foreign orchestras in Russia and China. He has collaborated with major concert halls throughout Europe, such remarkable artists as Rostropovich, USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Geringas, Bocelli and Rampal. 29 Considered one of the Czech Republic‘s concerts in auditoriums and concert halls, great orchestras, !e Czech National Sym- the CNSO has accompanied some of the phony Orchestra is respected today also most important pop/crossover artists of our as one of busiest symphonic ensembles in time, among them Andrea Bocelli, Vanessa Europe. In its new era, !e Czech National Mae, Ute Lemper, Sting, Serj Tankian and Symphony Orchestra is also organizing George Michael. Successful tours have the summer Prague Proms Festival taken place in the British Isles, France, which annually attracts the audience for Spain, Germany, Dubai, Russia, Japan, presenting greatest international perfor- South Korea, China, Mexico, Australia, and mers (Ennio Morricone, Lalo Schifrin, New Zealand. James Morrison). At the beginning of the year 2007, Maestro Libor Pešek was Recorded in the orchestra´s studio named the Chief Conductor. !e CNSO and Prague´s famous music halls, !e concerts are held in the beautiful Smetana Czech National Symphony Orchestra’s Hall of Prague´s Municipal House. Besides recordings are available in the United 30 States and Japan, and the orchestra takes !e Czech National Symphony Orchestra pride in several Gold CDs (over 30 000 was established in 1993 by trumpet player copies sold) which it has produced. Other Jan Hasenöhrl. A spiritual father at the birth accolades include the Gustav Mahler Prize, of the CNSO was the legendary conductor awarded for the interpretation of Mahler’s Zdeněk Košler. In the year 1996, the Amer- works, and the prestigious agreement that ican Paul Freeman took over as Chief the orchestra signed with IMG Artists Conductor, and remained in this position London for worldwide representation. !e for ten years. He was also Honorary Music achievements also include a long-standing Director of CNSO, which position he still recording project in association with Tokyo holds today. media company Victor Entertainment.

CREDITS: Executive Producer: Carol Rosenberger Recorded at CNSO Studio No. 1, Prague Recording Producer: Sylva Smejkalová Recording Engineer: Jan Kotzmann Engineer assistant: Čenda Kotzmann Mastering: David Bowles Photos: Egor Zaika Design: Nana Alieva Layout: Lonnie Kunkel