My subject is operas that are known almost entirely because of one hit aria. Without the tune, they would be virtually invisible. Below are 15 arias that I think fit the description just given.
Catalani’s Ebben? Ne andrò lontana from the first act of La Wally is probably the supreme example of the one-aria opera. Countless people know the aria who have never heard – or even encountered – the complete opera. Ordered by her father to marry a man she does not love, Wally chooses exile instead and imagines herself going far away into the snowy mountains, where only the sound of church bells will remind her of home. The haunting pathos of the aria is perfect for Maria Callas’ unique ability to reveal the emotional center of the music she sings.
In Mascagni’s Iris, “Apri la tua finestra” is Osaka’s seductive serenade to the innocent heroine. Its graceful vocal line conceals Osaka’s selfish intentions, making the music alluring yet dramatically unsettling. The opera’s story is repellent. I won’t go into the details. The tenor is Giuseppe Di Stefano.
Cilea’s “È la solita storia del pastore,” commonly known as Federico’s Lament, is the emotional centerpiece of L’Arlesiana. Federico sings of his hopeless love for the unseen woman from Arles, comparing his suffering to the familiar tale of a shepherd abandoned by his beloved. Its haunting melody and sense of desolation have made it far better known than the opera itself. Salvatore Fisichella is the tenor.
Giordano’s Amor ti vieta from Fedora is a remarkably brief yet intensely passionate declaration of love. Loris sings it to Fedora after she has confessed her feelings. Lasting barely two minutes, the aria achieves its effect through directness and warmth. Its emotional power has made it far more famous than the opera from which it comes. This recording was made by Enrico Caruso in 1902. He was the tenor lead in the opera’s world premiere in 1898. Caruso was still a lyric tenor at the time of this recording. The stentorian tones that were to characterize his singing were still ahead of him. The composer was the pianist.
Massenet’s Ô souverain, ô juge, ô père, from Le Cid, is Rodrigue’s prayer for divine guidance as he prepares for battle. Although Le Cid is rarely staged, this magnificent prayer remains one of Massenet’s best-known tenor arias. Every prominent spinto tenor includes it on his recording or recital programs. Franco Corelli’s voice was ideal for this “big” aria.
Lalo’s Vainement, ma bien-aimée, from Le roi d’Ys, is a graceful aubade. Though brief, the aria requires an effortless upper register and refined legato singing, and it has remained a favorite of lyric tenors even as the opera itself has largely disappeared from the repertory. The tenor in this recording is Henri Legay, in my opinion, the greatest French lyric tenor of the last century.
Meyerbeer’s “Ombre légère,” the celebrated Shadow Song from Dinorah, is a brilliant coloratura aria in which the mentally disturbed heroine playfully addresses and dances with her own shadow. The aria’s combination of charm, technical difficulty, and theatrical imagination has allowed it to survive as a soprano showpiece long after the opera itself disappeared from the regular repertory. The soprano is Natalie Dessay.
Adam’s Mes amis, écoutez l’histoire from Le postillon de Lonjumeau, is a brilliant tenor showpiece. Its buoyant rhythm, rapid phrasing, and spectacular climactic high D demand exceptional agility and ease in the upper register. The aria’s cheerful theatricality and formidable vocal challenge have made it far more famous than the opera itself. Legay again is the tenor.
Gounod’s “Inspirez-moi, race divine,” from La reine de Saba, is a grand heroic aria in which Adoniram, architect of Solomon’s Temple, invokes his ancestor Tubal-cain for inspiration before undertaking the casting of the immense “sea of bronze.” Although the opera is rarely performed, this stirring hymn to artistic creation remains its best-known vocal excerpt. The tenor is Roberto Alagna.
Gounod’s “Source délicieuse,” from Polyeucte, is a noble, deeply spiritual aria sung by the imprisoned martyr Saint Polyeuctus as he rejects worldly pleasures and prepares to die for his Christian faith. Although the opera is seldom performed, this moving meditation has survived as its best-known excerpt. Rolando Villazón is the tenor.
Mascagni’s “Flammen, perdonami,” from Lodoletta, is the heroine’s extended final scene. Exhausted and freezing outside Flammen’s house on New Year’s Eve, Lodoletta becomes delirious, imagines that he is kissing her, and begs his forgiveness as she dies in the snow. It has survived as the rarely performed opera’s best-known excerpt. Renata Tebaldi is the soprano.
Goldmark’s “Magische Töne,” from Die Königin von Saba, is an ardent tenor aria in which Assad recalls the mysterious voice and irresistible beauty of the Queen of Sheba. Its flowing, sensuous melody and exotic orchestral coloring create an atmosphere of enchantment and longing, while the vocal line rises to an impassioned climax. Although Goldmark’s opera is now rarely staged, this lyrical and demanding aria remains its best-known excerpt. Leo Slezak who could sing anything from Mozart to Verdi’s Otello with Wagner in between, is the tenor
Korngold’s Ich ging zu ihm from Das Wunder der Heliane, is the heroine’s great Act II monologue as she defends her visit to an imprisoned stranger and insists that she gave herself to him (while standing naked in front of him) only in spirit. Korngold surrounds her confession with sumptuous late-Romantic orchestration and a soaring vocal line that moves from quiet introspection to ecstatic affirmation. Requiring immense range, power, and expressive control, the aria has become the opera’s best-known excerpt and one of Korngold’s most magnificent creations for the soprano voice. Renée Fleming is the soprano.
Boieldieu’s Viens, gentille dame from La dame blanche, is a graceful tenor cavatina in which Georges Brown invokes the mysterious White Lady associated with the castle of Avenel. Its elegant melody, delicate ornamentation, and lightly supernatural atmosphere exemplify the charm and refinement of French opéra-comique. Once part of an enormously popular opera, the aria now survives chiefly as a demanding showcase for a lyric tenor’s flexibility, legato, and ease in the upper register. For a third time, the tenor is Henri Legay.
Wilhelm Kienzl (1857–1941) was an Austrian composer, conductor, pianist, musicologist, critic, and librettist. Educated in Graz, Prague, Leipzig, and Vienna, he belonged to the generation immediately following Wagner. Kienzl’s “Selig sind, die Verfolgung leiden,” from Der Evangelimann, is a simple, deeply affecting song in which Matthias, now a wandering preacher after years of unjust imprisonment, teaches Christ’s words from the Beatitudes to a group of children. The children’s chorus answers his tender, hymnlike melody, giving the scene an unusual purity and poignancy. Its blend of spiritual consolation and quiet personal suffering has made it by far the best-known excerpt from Kienzl’s opera. Fritz Wunderlich is the tenor.
