Famous Aria And Their Stories
1. Monteverdi Orfeo: Possente spirto
Orfeo's plea to Charon at "the road to Hades"
2. Lully Alceste: Admete, vous pleurez, Alceste vous mourez
Alceste treats the subject of Alcestis, wife of Admetus, King of Thessaly, who is allowed to replace her husband, when he is about to die, but is brought back from the Underworld by Hercules. Lully's elaborate version, based on the legend, his second tragedy, has Hercules as a disappointed lover of Alcestis, eventually, after her rescue, allowing her to stay with her husband. In the first act Alcestis is abducted by another lover, Lycomedes, King of Scyros, helped by his sister, the sea-nymph Thetis, Aeolus, god of the winds and other supernatural forces. In a battle to rescue Alcestis, Hercules is victorious against Lycomedes, but Admetus is mortally wounded. Apollo now offers Admetus his life, if someone will take his place in death. Alcestis is willing to take her husband’s place and is duly rescued by Hercules. The final act celebrates her triumphant return and the noble gallantry of Hercules in giving up any claim to her. The tragedy is introduced by a prologue in which nymphs long for the victorious return of Louis XIV from battle.
3.Purcell Dido and Aeneas: When I'm laid in earth
The story for Dido and Aeneas was adapted from part of the Aeneid by Virgil. Dido, Queen of Carthage, falls in love with Aeneas, who has landed in Carthage after fleeing from Troy after defeat in the Trojan War. However, some witches living near Carthage, who hate Dido, remind him that he is fated to go and be the founder of the Roman Empire. Aeneas leaves Dido, who is heartbroken and kills herself.
Ground Bass Arias
The two most famous arias from Dido and Aeneas, 'Ah! Belinda' and 'When I am laid in earth' (Dido's Lament), both have ground basses; a bass line which repeats itself over and over, while the other parts change over the top. Pachabel's Canon is another example of a piece of music with a ground bass2. The bass line doesn't change; so it is easy for pieces of music that use ground basses to get repetitive, because the composer has to use the same bass notes the whole time. Purcell keeps the interest going by having the phrases in the vocal line overlap the repeats of the ground bass, and harmonizing the ground bass with different chords from repetition to repetition.
4. Handel Giulio Cesare: da tempeste (Cleopatra)
Cleopatra metaphorically saw the storm as swelling emotions, unstabilizing her heart’s love of Cesare.
5.Handel Xerxes: Ombra mai fu (King Xerxes)
Xerxes is a love story, surrounding the title character who is an ancestor of the Persian King Darius III. (Darius III was, in fact, conquered by Alexander the Great in 331 B.C. This makes the story historically inaccurate specifically because there is hardly any mention of this event.) The story is summarized as follows:
Xerxes banishes his brother Arsamenes from the Kingdom because they are both in love with the same woman, Romilda. Romilda is enamored with Arsamenes, as is her sister, Atalanta. Atalanta wants and tries to convince Romilda to marry Xerxes so that she can marry Arsamenes. This is much to the dismay of Amastris, betrothed of Xerxes, who disguises herself in the army to try and regain favor with him.
"Ombra mai fu", also often referred to as "Largo" from Xerxes, is found immediately after the overture. Xerxes sings light-heartedly to a favorite tree, which has no real relation to any of the remaining plot and story line. Despite its lack of relativity and the fact that the opera itself was not well received, it is one of Handel's most famous compositions.
6.Gluck Orfeo ed Euridice: Che faro senza Euridice (Orfeo)
On the way out of Hades, Euridice is delighted to be returning to earth, but Orfeo, remembering the condition related by Amore in Act I, lets go of her hand and refuses to look at her. Euridice takes this to be a sign that he no longer loves her, and refuses to continue, concluding that death would be preferable. Unable to take any more, Orfeo turns and looks and Euridice; she dies. Orfeo sings of his grief in the famous aria Che faro senza Euridice?
7.Gluck Paride ed Elena: O del mio dolce ardor (Paris)
Paride ed Elena tells the story of history's most consequential seduction: Paris carrying Helen off to Troy. Based on Ovid's intensely erotic retelling of the story, it may be the sexiest opera before Tristan. The score is known today mainly for the haunting aria "O del mio dolce ardor;" which has remained a favorite concert item; the rest of the opera maintains the same sensuous beauty.
8.Gluck Armide: Enfin, il est en ma puissance
The section on which Armide is based tells the story of Armide, a sorceress who falls in love with the Crusader Renaud, her sworn enemy. According to Lully's contemporary Le Cerf de la Viéville, Armide was known as "the ladies' opera," probably because of its emphasis on Armide's internal confli
9.Vivaldi Dorilla in Tempe: Dell'aura al sussurar
Opera version of "Spring" in the "four seasons"
已經google到瘋掉了...Mozart的部份改天補上
Orfeo's plea to Charon at "the road to Hades"
2. Lully Alceste: Admete, vous pleurez, Alceste vous mourez
Alceste treats the subject of Alcestis, wife of Admetus, King of Thessaly, who is allowed to replace her husband, when he is about to die, but is brought back from the Underworld by Hercules. Lully's elaborate version, based on the legend, his second tragedy, has Hercules as a disappointed lover of Alcestis, eventually, after her rescue, allowing her to stay with her husband. In the first act Alcestis is abducted by another lover, Lycomedes, King of Scyros, helped by his sister, the sea-nymph Thetis, Aeolus, god of the winds and other supernatural forces. In a battle to rescue Alcestis, Hercules is victorious against Lycomedes, but Admetus is mortally wounded. Apollo now offers Admetus his life, if someone will take his place in death. Alcestis is willing to take her husband’s place and is duly rescued by Hercules. The final act celebrates her triumphant return and the noble gallantry of Hercules in giving up any claim to her. The tragedy is introduced by a prologue in which nymphs long for the victorious return of Louis XIV from battle.
3.Purcell Dido and Aeneas: When I'm laid in earth
The story for Dido and Aeneas was adapted from part of the Aeneid by Virgil. Dido, Queen of Carthage, falls in love with Aeneas, who has landed in Carthage after fleeing from Troy after defeat in the Trojan War. However, some witches living near Carthage, who hate Dido, remind him that he is fated to go and be the founder of the Roman Empire. Aeneas leaves Dido, who is heartbroken and kills herself.
Ground Bass Arias
The two most famous arias from Dido and Aeneas, 'Ah! Belinda' and 'When I am laid in earth' (Dido's Lament), both have ground basses; a bass line which repeats itself over and over, while the other parts change over the top. Pachabel's Canon is another example of a piece of music with a ground bass2. The bass line doesn't change; so it is easy for pieces of music that use ground basses to get repetitive, because the composer has to use the same bass notes the whole time. Purcell keeps the interest going by having the phrases in the vocal line overlap the repeats of the ground bass, and harmonizing the ground bass with different chords from repetition to repetition.
4. Handel Giulio Cesare: da tempeste (Cleopatra)
Cleopatra metaphorically saw the storm as swelling emotions, unstabilizing her heart’s love of Cesare.
5.Handel Xerxes: Ombra mai fu (King Xerxes)
Xerxes is a love story, surrounding the title character who is an ancestor of the Persian King Darius III. (Darius III was, in fact, conquered by Alexander the Great in 331 B.C. This makes the story historically inaccurate specifically because there is hardly any mention of this event.) The story is summarized as follows:
Xerxes banishes his brother Arsamenes from the Kingdom because they are both in love with the same woman, Romilda. Romilda is enamored with Arsamenes, as is her sister, Atalanta. Atalanta wants and tries to convince Romilda to marry Xerxes so that she can marry Arsamenes. This is much to the dismay of Amastris, betrothed of Xerxes, who disguises herself in the army to try and regain favor with him.
"Ombra mai fu", also often referred to as "Largo" from Xerxes, is found immediately after the overture. Xerxes sings light-heartedly to a favorite tree, which has no real relation to any of the remaining plot and story line. Despite its lack of relativity and the fact that the opera itself was not well received, it is one of Handel's most famous compositions.
6.Gluck Orfeo ed Euridice: Che faro senza Euridice (Orfeo)
On the way out of Hades, Euridice is delighted to be returning to earth, but Orfeo, remembering the condition related by Amore in Act I, lets go of her hand and refuses to look at her. Euridice takes this to be a sign that he no longer loves her, and refuses to continue, concluding that death would be preferable. Unable to take any more, Orfeo turns and looks and Euridice; she dies. Orfeo sings of his grief in the famous aria Che faro senza Euridice?
7.Gluck Paride ed Elena: O del mio dolce ardor (Paris)
Paride ed Elena tells the story of history's most consequential seduction: Paris carrying Helen off to Troy. Based on Ovid's intensely erotic retelling of the story, it may be the sexiest opera before Tristan. The score is known today mainly for the haunting aria "O del mio dolce ardor;" which has remained a favorite concert item; the rest of the opera maintains the same sensuous beauty.
8.Gluck Armide: Enfin, il est en ma puissance
The section on which Armide is based tells the story of Armide, a sorceress who falls in love with the Crusader Renaud, her sworn enemy. According to Lully's contemporary Le Cerf de la Viéville, Armide was known as "the ladies' opera," probably because of its emphasis on Armide's internal confli
9.Vivaldi Dorilla in Tempe: Dell'aura al sussurar
Opera version of "Spring" in the "four seasons"
已經google到瘋掉了...Mozart的部份改天補上
