Gluck's 'Orfeo ed Euridice' premiered in October 1762 at the Burgtheater in Vienna. The aria 'Che farò senza Euridice?' it is perhaps the most famous moment in the entire opera. She appears in act 3, right after the 2nd death of Eurydice, because Orpheus has broken the condition he had made to Amor in order to bring her back from the realm of the dead: not to look at her until she reaches the surface. 'Paris and Helen' premiered at the same theater, but in November 1770. It tells the story of the flight of the beautiful Helen, wife of Menelaus from Sparta, in the company of Paris, son of King Priam of Troy, an event that led to the Trojan War . The aria 'O del mio dolce ardor' comes from act 1 and is Paris' declaration of love to the most beautiful woman in Greece.
'La clemenza di Tito', an 'opera seria', dates from 1791 and was written for the coronation of Leopold II of Austria as King of Bohemia. The aria 'Parto, ma tu ben mio', appears in act 1 and expresses the feelings of young Sesto, after Vitelia, daughter of the deposed emperor (whom he loves) and who only dreams of being empress, urges him to kill Emperor Titus , with whom he is very friendly.
Note that the 3 arias above were all written for 'castrati' (alto in Orfeo and sopranos in Paride and Sesto).
The following aria is different, intended from the beginning for a woman, although the character is a boy (teenager) named Cherubino. 'Voi che sapete' (act 2, scene 2) is a canzonetta that Cherubino wrote, intended for his mistress, the Countess Almaviva (he is the Count's page and has a crush on the Countess) and which he sings to the Countess and to Susanna ( chambermaid of the Countess) in the chambers of the first.
'Ah, chi mi dice mai' is the introductory aria for the character Donna Elvira. From her we learn that she was abandoned by her lover in the city where she was born and that since then she has been chasing her to take revenge (but she also doesn't care if she wins him back…). The lover, of course, is Don Giovanni, who, hidden, is listening to her...
We skip almost a century, but we remain in Vienna, where Massenet's 'Werther' (in German translation) was premiered in February 1892. The aria we hear appears in act 3 scene 1 and, in it, Charlotte recognizes that she has ' Werther's full soul'; a more lively 2nd section prepares the contrast with the ominous finale, which portends Werther's suicide.
Dalila's aria appears at the end of the 2nd act. The funny thing about it is to compare the intoxicating vocal line (and accompanying orchestration) with the fact that it is a pure ruse orchestrated by Dalila, to get Samsão to confess the secret of his strength. As we know from the Bible, she was successful...
From the most famous opera in history – Carmen by Bizet – we hear 2 of its most famous excerpts: the 'Seguidilha' (from the 1st act) and the 'Bohemian song' (beginning of the 2nd act) – where 'bohemia' should be understood as synonymous with 'gypsy'. Both are the perfect illustration of the magnetism and seduction emanated by the gypsy Carmen.
'La favorite' premiered in December 1840 in Paris. The aria we hear comes from act 3 and describes Léonore's feelings right after it is determined that she will marry Fernand: joy, for the love that binds them together; and fear, for the secret that she kept from having been the king's mistress. The Italian version of this opera dates from 1842 and was heard in 3 cities that year: Padua, Berlin and… Lisbon!
The Nocturno in C# minor is a fine example of the genre, with its liquid trills, the singing in the high register, the undulating accompaniment of arpeggios, the 'petites notes', the cascading designs, all contributing to an atmosphere of enormous poetry and serenity.
