Hector Berlioz - Benvenuto Cellini - "Mais qu'ai-je donc" (Joyce DiDonato)

Another aria, which just like Cellini's romance shouldn't have been in the opera, hadn't Berlioz been forced to compose a virtuoso piece to show off the skill of his singer. But the composer himself seems to have fallen in love with piece, expressly citing that it should be used. The piece, sung by Ascanio, Cellini's apprentice, is certainly a superb one musically but it does seriously sound forced into the logical succession of the piece, appearing at the beginning of the fourth tableau but having not true dramatic importance. In it, the young boy remembers the events of the morning encounter with the Pope and celebrates his master's wit. These two relations of the story, combining some exceptional opportunities for characterization (most obviously, in the relation of the Pope and Cellini's dialogue), is set between a triple repeat of most charming moderato/allegretto section where Ascanio relates that he prefers laughter and song to sadness and melancholic thoughts. The piece is readily recognizable as adhering to the French opera comique idiom, thus, it may seem a bit out of place in the whole opera, but one cannot deny it's charm (similar to Urbain's rondo in Meyerbeer gargantuan grand opera). Hope you'll enjoy :)!

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Hector
• Berlioz
• classical
• Benvenuto
• Cellini
• coloratura

[thecelticspirit]

Brava! DiDonato has definitely a really good alchemy with Berlioz, imo. Love this piece!