A Verdi playlist

Below are some of the major "highlights" from Verdi's operas. As before, some are audio, some are video. Hopefully by now you will be familiar with some of the singers.

Listen carefully and you'll notice how time and again, Verdi writes his melodies for the voice over an orchestra repeating the same phrase over and over (often introduced a the start of the aria before the singer joins in).

Nabucco (1842)

Dio di Giuda, with baritone Renato Bruson: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tds4znmgnFs

Va, pensiero, with the operatic equivalent of waving lighters: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UCGbNVbJr-Q

Ernani (1844)

Ernani involami, with soprano Maria Callas: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQ4wGGXJRYg

Macbeth (1847)

Nel di dellla vittoria.... Vieni t'affretta.... Or tutti sorgete, with soprano Mara Zampieri: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=npeBP7CPmZA Here we have an example of recitative-aria-cabaletta. The recits starts (Nel di della vittoria, speaking the letter then the recit follows), then the aria itself (Vieni t'affretta at 2.15, the orchestra plays its phrase which is then repeated under the voice), then a messenger brings news that Duncan will stay the night at the castle prompting a change of mood and a faster cabaletta (Or tutti sorgete at 5.52)

Ah, la paterna mano, with tenor Luciano Pavarotti: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JyAvtTt-WmA

Pieta, rispetto, amore, with baritone Dmitri Hvorostovsky: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bgWbdxf8nhg 

Luisa Miller (1849)

Quando le sere al placido, with tenor Rolando Villazon http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6WTfXTkVzSQ

This is the same aria, here sung by Carlo Bergonzi at a MET gala in 1996. Apparently, Pavarotti cancelled so the 72 year old Bergonzi stepped in. Bergonzi was renowned as a Verdi singer: tasteful, elegant, refined. He recorded an important album of all Verdi's tenor arias in the 70s. Obviously, the voice is not what it was, but there is a warmth and sincerity to this singing that I find very touch, and the respect and love shown him by the audience and the conductor, James Levine, is obvious. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Umsp0FWjQx4 

Rigoletto (1851)

Caro nome, with soprano Edita Gruberova: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYBXiazv3n4

Ella mi fu rapita.... Parmi veder le lagrime, with tenor Placido Domingo: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQ9UYopPfg4

Si vendetta, with baritone Leo Nucci and soprano Inva Mula http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXt6F5JKoF4

La donna e mobile, with tenor Jonas Kaufmann http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5mjgo7c3IW4

Bella figlia dell'amore, with tenor Luciano Pavarotti, mezzo Isola Jones, soprano Christa Eda-Pierre and baritone Louis Quilico: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ChZBjhoNbpA

Il Trovatore (1853)

Vedi le fosche (Anvil chorus): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ARjcDgVfhlk

Il balen del suo sorriso, with baritone Giorgio Zancanaro: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QWvJKERPgCU

Ah si, ben mio.... Di quella pira, with tenor Jussi Bjorling and soprano Zinka Milanov: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZkKxpM0JkM

D'amor sull ali rosee, with soprano Leontyne Price: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dgnMov2ibgE


La Traviata (1853)
Libiamo, ne lieti calici (the drinking song, or Brindisi) with tenor Placido Domingo and soprano Teresa Stratas: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NcKdnkGBSgA

E strano.... Ah forse e lui.... Sempre libera, with soprano Anna Netrebko: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jrq6xdVwdf8

Di Provenza il mar, with baritone Leo Nucci: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0saYfRBGBXY

Parigi o cara, with tenor Jonas Kaufmann and soprano Christine Schafer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cHIyVWB5Dx0

Un ballo in maschera/ A masked ball (1859)
Eri tu, with baritone Piero Cappuccilli: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eSHPVkuHZ9k 

Fors la soglia attinse.... Ma s'e me forza perdeti, with tenor Carlo Bergonzi: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXqNMxQLYZM 


La forza del destino/ The force of destiny (1862)
Solenne in quest'ora, with Jonas Kaufmann and Dmitri Hvorostovsky: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RzLR1OuDaKY


Pace, pace mio Dio, with Renata Tebaldi: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nXGl8hSmujU 




Don Carlos (1867)
Dio che nell'alma infondere, with Carlo Bergonzi and baritone Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m808s0kHIyE


O Carlo ascolta, with baritone Tito Gobbi: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xdVcgQq1syY


Aida (1871)
Se quel guerrier io fossi.....Celeste Aida, with tenor Franco Corelli: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URfu6ACsEWo

Triumphal March: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ra6yoeaVsbY

O patria mia, with Leontyne Price in her farewell performance at the MET: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xGfP38nd-U0


Otello (1887)
Gia nella notte e densa, with Placido Domingo and soprano Kiri te Kanawa: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddPYmEC42e0

Si pel ciel marmoreo giuro, with Placido Domingo and baritone Sherrill Milnes: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6GDVw0Ecvnw

Ave Maria, with soprano Montserrat Caballe: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o2pwropNV0M


Niun mi tema, with tenor Jon Vickers: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LY6Zm8eIdjc


Falstaff (1893)
Tutto nel mondo e burla: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7E4S-E2qAX8

The complete playlist can be viewed here: http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL281F3ECD0882F370