Audrey Michael: Se mai senti spirarti sul volto, Gluck (La clemenza di Tito)

Christoph Willibald Gluck (1714-1787)

La clemenza di Tito (1752)
Dramma per musica in 3 acts

Libretto: Pietro Metastasio

Sesto's aria (Act II)

PUBLIO
[...] Vieni.

VITELLIA
(Oh colpo fatale!)

SESTO
Al fin, tiranna...

PUBLIO
Sesto, partir conviene. È già raccolto
per udirti il senato, e non poss'io
differir di condurti.

SESTO
Ingrata, addio!

Se mai senti spirarti sul volto
lieve fiato che lento s'aggiri,
di': «Son questi gli estremi sospiri
del mio fido, che muore per me.»

Al mio spirto, dal seno disciolto,
la memoria di tanti martìri
sarà dolce con questa mercé.

Stereo:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZo4WA6NgR4&fmt=18
Sometimes with live recordings higher sound quality is not the best option, the background noise may benefit more than the music. So choose wisely.

Gluck caused some sort of scandalous sensation in Naples with this haunting and disturbing aria. Should one really write music like this?

Caffarelli was Sesto in Naples in 1752.

Later Gluck recycled this music in his 'Iphigénie en Tauride' where it became the aria 'O malheureuse Iphigénie'

Mozart set this scene as terzetto.

Conductor: Louis Langrée

Live recording (1996)

Playlist with other clips from this opera:
http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=915A3E816C2624C7

Category:

Music

Tags:

• gluck
• clemenza
• michael
• langree
• opera
• seria
• metastasio
• cw
• soprano

[jgdmol4l]

can someone please explain why this is nearly the exact same aria as in Iphéginie en Tauride?? thanks.

[Thrax1982]

@jgdmol4l

Because Gluck was lazy enough to recycle old material as long as he was sure that his new audience had not heard the original.

[contessabrilliante]

Actually, this is perfect; Cecilia or not!

[opricnik]

Gente: una delle arie più difficili dell'intera storia dell'opera. Un inchino a chi l'ha scritta e a chi ha il coraggio di cantarla.

[elue1357]

Thank you very much for posting. It's always a pleasure to hear Audrey Michael's voice. She's an excellent singer and the best singing teacher i ever had!

[gratecourt]

Thanks so much for posting. This completely wipes the floor with mozart.

[willthebest1]

this is very nice i like it indeed--and i love Bartoli much

[BernardProfitendieu]

he refined it a bit before taking it on the road to Tauride

interesting to compare the 2 versions

[aquabubbly]

what an amazing piece.

[Thrax1982]

I agree, out of all the singers I have ever heard I could not choose a better one for the part of Gluck's Sesto.