# Arias or scenes you never get tired of....................



## Itullian (Aug 27, 2011)

What are the arias or scenes that always rivet or move you?
That you never tire of hearing.
Thank you


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## Stargazer (Nov 9, 2011)

Here's two of mine...notice a trend?


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## quack (Oct 13, 2011)

Purcell's "Thy Hand Belinda" but then i'm kind of emo.


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## Itullian (Aug 27, 2011)

The prize song and finale of Meistersinger.
Never tire of it.


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## Revenant (Aug 27, 2013)

The ending of Rheingold, Marietta's lied from Die Tote Stadt, and the _in vano, Alvaro _scene between tenor and baritone in La Forza.


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## Itullian (Aug 27, 2011)

the sextet and finale from Lucia.


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## mamascarlatti (Sep 23, 2009)

The dialogue between Siegmund and Brünnhilde in act 2 of *Walküre *, sung by Jonas Kaufmann and Nina Stemme

_Glück, das mir verblieb_ from *Die Tote Stadt*, sung by Klaus Florian Vogt and Camilla Nylund
_
Va tacito e nascosto_ from *Giulio Cesare*, as staged here: 




Lensky's aria, sung by Pavol Breslik, and the last scene of *Eugene Onegin* in the Carsen Met staging

The whole of the second act of *Tosca*.

The poker scene in the second act of *La Fanciulla del West*

_Contessa, perdono_ in *Le Nozze di Figaro.*

The Commendatore scene in *Don Giovanni*

_Pur ti miro_ at the end of *L'incoronazione di Poppea
*
The father son recognition scene in *Il Ritorno D'Ulisse in Patria*

_Where shall I fly_, from Handel's *Hercules*, as performed by Joyce DiDonato here: 




_Rachel, quand du seigneur_, from Halévy's *la Juive*, sung by Neil Shicoff.

_In fernem Land_ from *Lohengrin*.

Billy's last ballad from *Billy Budd*, sung by Simon Keenlyside

The ball scene in *War and Peace*.

_Già nella notte densa_ from *Otello*

_Dio, che nell'alma infondere amor_ from *Don Carlo*


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## Itullian (Aug 27, 2011)

finale act ll of Figaro.


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## Winterreisender (Jul 13, 2013)

Itullian said:


> The prize song and finale of Meistersinger.
> Never tire of it.


My absolute favourite as well  !

I would also mention Purcell's aria "Fairest Isle" from King Arthur.


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## dgee (Sep 26, 2013)

Arbitrarily:

Papageno/a duet at the end of Magic Flute
The gruffly masculine tenor/bass duet from the start of Abduction from the Seraglio
Flower song from Carmen
Mon couer s'ata voix (sp) from Samson and Delilah - and the solo mezzo version doesn't cut it
The short, soaring orchestral interlude in first scene of Sister Angelica right after the door slams (its in A major if that helps) - it's only a 20 secs or so, but WOW
End of Electra
"Mein Sehnen, mein Wähnen"
Lulu, meine Angel...
Mainly, of course, the Liebestod
Feels like I'll never tire of the whole of Fausto Romitelli's The Index of Metals, but then I only listened to it for the first time last week 

Interesting to contrast with loveable operas where there isn't a standout scene or number (or maybe just some I don't know well enough!)


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

The Dawn Duet in Gotterdammerung sung by Astrid Varnay and Wolfgang Windgassen:http://www.amazon.com/Gotterdammeru...1-1&keywords=keilberth+varnay+gotterdammerung
The Love Duet from Tristan with Flagstad and Melchior 
The end of Act II in Norma with Sutherland, Horne and Alexander.
Zweite Brautnacht with Leontyne Price


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## deggial (Jan 20, 2013)

dgee said:


> The gruffly masculine tenor/bass duet from the start of Abduction from the Seraglio


yes! I love that one too.


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## Aramis (Mar 1, 2009)

I can get tired of everything. Never getting tired comes with effort to wisely handle my listening portions.


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## Itullian (Aug 27, 2011)

Soave sia il vento from Cosi Fan Tutte.
when done right, slow and breezy.


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## sospiro (Apr 3, 2010)

The bass aria


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## schigolch (Jun 26, 2011)

One of the scenes that I've heard more times in my life, it's the end of the first scene of François Poulenc's _Dialogues des Carmélites_, since the arrival of Blanche until her confession to her father that she is planning to join the convent at Compiègne, and the final with the beautiful and sweet notes that will also close the opera later.


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## MAuer (Feb 6, 2011)

Aside from my _Fidelio_ "thing:"
- "_S'alto che lagrime_" from _La Clemenza di Tito_
- "_Cortigiani, vil razza dannata_" from _Rigoletto_ (sung by Sherrill Milnes, of course!)
- Both of Sarastro's arias, and the trials by fire and water from _Die Zauberflöte_
- Sharpless reading Pinkerton's letter to Butterfly
- Act II, scene 2 (the convent) from _Il Trovatore _(with Jonas Kaufmann and Anja Harteros) 
- The trial scene in _Aida_ (with Agnas Baltsa's Amneris)
- "_Non piu andrai_" from _Le Nozze di Figaro_
And I'm sure I could go on . . .


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## Itullian (Aug 27, 2011)

Sparafucile's aria making the deal.


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## Itullian (Aug 27, 2011)

Gotta mention the Prologue from Mefistofele.
AWESOME


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## sospiro (Apr 3, 2010)

Itullian said:


> Gotta mention the Prologue from Mefistofele.
> AWESOME


Yep! That one! .............................


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## sospiro (Apr 3, 2010)

Bernard Ładysz singing Skołuba

from The Haunted Manor by Moniuszko


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## SiegendesLicht (Mar 4, 2012)

The communion ceremony in the castle of the Grail knights in Parsifal, Act I.
Die Walküre, Act I, Scene III, starting with "Ein Schwert verhieß mir der Vater..." 
The final hymn of the Tannhäuser.


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## deggial (Jan 20, 2013)

Vitellia's _Deh, se piacer mi vuoi_ = such a great seduction aria, wicked pacing.


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## Bellinilover (Jul 24, 2013)

It would take a long time to list all of my favorite operas arias/scenes, so I'll just name a few that come immediately to mind:

I honestly believe that I could listen all day to the Act III duet between Otello and Desdemona ("Dio ti giocondi, o sposo") and not tire of it. I love it so much, especially the barely contained menace of Otello's vocal line.

Also: the second-act Mad Scene from _I Puritani_, the Septet in the Venetian act of _Les Contes d'Hoffmann_, "Dove sono" from _Le Nozze di Figaro_, and Elektra's part in the Recognition Scene from Elektra ("Orest! Orest...").


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## mamascarlatti (Sep 23, 2009)

Bellinilover said:


> I honestly believe that I could listen all day to the Act III duet between Otello and Desdemona ("Dio ti giocondi, o sposo") and not tire of it. I love it so much, especially the barely contained menace of Otello's vocal line.


It's awesome, but just too harrowing. I have to ration myself with this kind of thing.


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## Bellinilover (Jul 24, 2013)

MAuer said:


> Aside from my _Fidelio_ "thing:"
> - "_S'alto che lagrime_" from _La Clemenza di Tito_
> - "_Cortigiani, vil razza dannata_" from _Rigoletto_ (sung by Sherrill Milnes, of course!)
> - Both of Sarastro's arias, and the trials by fire and water from _Die Zauberflöte_
> ...


You beat me to the "Cortigiani"  -- my all-time favorite baritone aria. (And for me personally, no one tops Sherrill Milnes in that one.) Also, Sharpless reading Pinkerton's letter -- that bit would never have ocurred to me, but it is a very touching passage, especially with a sensitive Sharpless like Rolando Panerai, or like Dwayne Croft in a recent Met production.


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## Bellinilover (Jul 24, 2013)

mamascarlatti said:


> It's awesome, but just too harrowing. I have to ration myself with this kind of thing.


I'm listening to it right now. Yeah, it does get harrowing -- but until Desdemona mentions Cassio it's rather pleasant.


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## mamascarlatti (Sep 23, 2009)

Bellinilover said:


> I'm listening to it right now. Yeah, it does get harrowing -- but until Desdemona mentions Cassio it's rather pleasant.


But you know that it's going to turn to custard any minute, that Otello is just a simmering volcano of rage and jealousy waiting to erupt, and that she is totally unaware of this until the lightning strikes. That kind of makes the pleasant bit so nerve-wracking, like the calm pool in the rain-forest before the crocodiles surges forth and drags you under.


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## Bellinilover (Jul 24, 2013)

Another number I never tire of is the waltz and chorus at the beginning of Act II of _Eugene Onegin_.


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## DavidA (Dec 14, 2012)

The banquet scene of Don Giovanni where the statue comes to life and drags the rake to hell. Some of the greatest music Mozart ever wrote. Those pounding minor chords with three bass voices are incredible. Maybe the greatest scene in opera?


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## Pip (Aug 16, 2013)

The recognition scene between Amelia and her father from Simone boccanegra.
The Posa - Philip scene " Restate....." from Don Carlo ,and the Inquisitor -Philip scene from the same opera.
The Karfreitag music from Parsifal.
Act 2 of Tosca with Callas and Gobbi.
"Grüß Gott , mein junker" from Meistersinger.
"immer ich Undank loge's lohn" from Rheingold.
"Ciel! mio padre" from Aida.
"Schläft's du Hagen mein Sohn" from Götterdämmerung.


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## Revenant (Aug 27, 2013)

mamascarlatti said:


> But you know that it's going to turn to custard any minute, that Otello is just a simmering volcano of rage and jealousy waiting to erupt, and that she is totally unaware of this until the lightning strikes. That kind of makes the pleasant bit so nerve-wracking, like the calm pool in the rain-forest before the crocodiles surges forth and drags you under.


I love that repeated "_eburnea mano_" line! Talk about embittered sarcasm...


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## Bellinilover (Jul 24, 2013)

Revenant said:


> I love that repeated "_eburnea mano_" line! Talk about embittered sarcasm...


I love that, too -- in fact, I love the whole phrase: "Grazie, madonna..."

I should have made it clear at the start that when I said I could listen to that duet all day, I meant only up to the part where Desdemona mentions Cassio. Mammascarlatti is right: listening to the whole scene repeatedly _would_ get too nerve-wracking.

I thought of yet another one I never tire of: "Spargi d'un amaro pianto" (the Mad Scene cabaletta) from _Lucia di Lammermoor_, especially as sung by Joan Sutherland.


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## Dongiovanni (Jul 30, 2012)

DavidA said:


> The banquet scene of Don Giovanni where the statue comes to life and drags the rake to hell. Some of the greatest music Mozart ever wrote. Those pounding minor chords with three bass voices are incredible. Maybe the greatest scene in opera?


Yes, without a doubt my #1 scene from any opera that I know so far. I heard it so many times... it always, always gets me.

Another favourite part from Don Giovanni is "Don Ottavio son morta" (Donna Anna)

And further:
"Dove Sono", and "Sull'aria" from Nozze
"Soave" from Cosi
"Ach, ich fuhl's" and both aria's from the Queen from the Flute
"Amami Alfredo" and "Addio del passato" from Traviata
"Cortigiani, vil razza" until the end of act 2 from Rigoletto
"Oh quante volte" from Capuletti
"mi chiamano Mimi", "che gelida manina", "o soave fanciulla", "addio senza rancor", and from "sono andati" until the end of act 4 from Boheme
"va Tosca", from Tosca


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## Couac Addict (Oct 16, 2013)

DavidA said:


> The banquet scene of Don Giovanni where the statue comes to life and drags the rake to hell. Some of the greatest music Mozart ever wrote. Those pounding minor chords with three bass voices are incredible. Maybe the greatest scene in opera?


It's a great death scene...just nice to see someone not die of consumption for a change.
However, I suspect that had Giovanni not been dragged into Hell - he would've succumbed to gonorrhea in the 3rd Act.
Seriously, it sounds like he was on the 18th century equivalent of a European Contiki tour.


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## deggial (Jan 20, 2013)

Dorabella's _E amore un ladroncello_ = terrible earworm (but ridiculously enjoyable until I feel slightly ill)
Susanna's _Venite inginocchiatevi_ - the bit at the end that goes "han certo il lor perche" - I keep going _certo, certo, certo_ for a good while afterwards
Polinesso's _Dover, giustizia, amor_ = Polinesso is so hilariously facetious (he's one of my favourite villains because he's one of the few who doesn't turn good in the end)
Orfeo's _Possente spirto_ = although I have next to no interest in mythology, I find Orfeo a fascinating character and this recit is breathtaking


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## Celloman (Sep 30, 2006)

"When Joe had gone fishing" from _Peter Grimes_.
"Vesti la giubba" from _Pagliacci_.
The _Liebestod_ from _Tristan und Isolde_.
"Mon coeur s'ouvre a ta voix" from _Samson et Delilah_.


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## mamascarlatti (Sep 23, 2009)

Celloman said:


> "When Joe had gone fishing" from _Peter Grimes_.


Immediate earworm has opened in my head. It's going to pursue me all day.


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## DavidA (Dec 14, 2012)

"Soave" from Cosi is high on the list of the most beautiful music ever written.


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## moody (Nov 5, 2011)

The last scene from "The Tales Of Hoffmann" when the evil Dr.Miracle persuades Antonia to sing by conjuring up the ghost of her mother. He knows that she will die if she sings and of course she does,terrific tension.
Verdi. "I Lombardi". Trio Act 3. After a violin prelude--a sort of mini concerto--Giselda appears with Oronte who she has discovered wounded on the battlefield.She laments God's cruelty but unfortunately the Knight dies from his wounds. Wonderful stuff and so dramatic.
Lortzing. "Zar Und Zimmermann". (Tsar and Carpenter). van Bett ,the extremely pompous and rather dim Mayor has heard that the Tsar is in town. So he has composed a long greeting and is rehearsing the chorus,everything goes wrong and the chorus are being unco-operative. It's very funny ,Georg Hann and also Gottlob Frick were specialists in this role.
Verdi. "Otello" 'oh! Mostruosa Culpa'. Finale Act two. Where Iago convinces Otello of Desdemona's guilt. Building to a fateful outcome !


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## mamascarlatti (Sep 23, 2009)

moody said:


> Verdi. "I Lombardi". Trio Act 3. *After a violin prelude*--a sort of mini concerto--Giselda appears with Oronte who she has discovered wounded on the battlefield.She laments God's cruelty but unfortunately the Knight dies from his wounds. Wonderful stuff and so dramatic.


Yes, I love that violin prelude too.


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## Itullian (Aug 27, 2011)

End of Act ll of Lohengrin.


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## Aramis (Mar 1, 2009)

Pip said:


> "Schläft's du Hagen mein Sohn" from Götterdämmerung.


I also never get tired of that scene.

BECAUSE I ALWAYS FAST-FORWARD THROUGH IT

AHAHAHAHAHHAHAHA


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## Revenant (Aug 27, 2013)

Aramis said:


> I also never get tired of that scene.
> 
> BECAUSE I ALWAYS FAST-FORWARD THROUGH IT
> 
> AHAHAHAHAHHAHAHA


Aramis, you lovable madcap you. :angel:


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## Itullian (Aug 27, 2011)

the duet in the first act of Il Barbiere. about the metal helmet.
Love it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## Dongiovanni (Jul 30, 2012)

deggial said:


> Susanna's _Venite inginocchiatevi_ - the bit at the end that goes "han certo il lor perche" - I keep going _certo, certo, certo_ for a good while afterwards


I have that as well ! Hmmm... after reading this, now it's in my head...


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## deggial (Jan 20, 2013)

sorry about that, mate :tiphat:

:lol:


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## Revenant (Aug 27, 2013)

Amor ti vieta, as sung by Bjorling. Never get tired of listening to it. Although it also helps that it's a very short aria.


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## TrevBus (Jun 6, 2013)

Itullian said:


> finale act ll of Figaro.


Favorite opera. For me it's the finale act I. Also 2 great arias from this opera.

Basilio: 'La calunnia e un venticello' Can and usually do, listen to this over and over.
Rosina: 'Una voce poca fa' Love it, esp. w/DiDonato singing it.


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## Jobis (Jun 13, 2013)

Pretty much any mozart I can listen to repeatedly for hours and not tire of it. Its quite strange. Other music I need to take a break from after a bit, and then come back to it a few days later.


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## Operafocus (Jul 17, 2011)

- Cortigiani (pretty much all of *Rigoletto* but this one in particular)
- Nemico della patria (and Improviso) - *Andrea Chenier*
- Si puo (and the finale of) - *Pagliacci*
- Ella giammai m'amo (and Dio, che nell'alma infondere + Grand Inquisitor duet) - *Don Carlo*
- Ch'ella mi creda - *La Fanciulla del West*
- Final trio of *Faust *with Kraus, Scotto and Ghiaurov
- The Pilgrims' Chorus - *Tannhauser
- *Pourquoi me réveiller - *Werther

*It (probably) goes without saying that they have to be performed by singers who are capable. There are many others. I find a really, really good "Nessun Dorma" very satisfying - it's just they're so few and far between. It's like kissing frogs looking for princes. I'm also very partial to a really good "Che Gelida Manina" - for tenors of a certain vocal weight this one's kinda my _'if you can pull off that high C satisfyingly, I'll give you a chance'_ aria.


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## Reichstag aus LICHT (Oct 25, 2010)

Some personal favourites:

Je crois entendre encore (Pearl Fishers)
The "Vengeance Trio" (Götterdämmerung Act II)
Pourquoi me réveiller (Werther)
A little priest (Sweeney Todd)
Quando m'en vo (Bohème)
Parle moi de ma mère (Carmen)
Sibilar gli angui d'Aletto (Rinaldo)
Glitter and be gay (Candide)
Nuit d'ivresse (Troyens)
Soave sia il vento (Così)
Verachtet mir die Meister nicht (Meistersinger)
Ciel e terra armi di sdegno (Tamerlano)
The Good Friday scene (Parsifal)


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## nannerl (Aug 29, 2013)

Will never get sick of Commendatore scene.. <3


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## Jobis (Jun 13, 2013)

O konig, das kann ich dir nicht sagen...

basically the whole of tristan and isolde


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## peeknocker (Feb 14, 2012)

Thomas Beecham conducted a major revival of M. W. Balfe's "The Bohemian Girl" at Covent Garden in 1951, with 21-year-old Roberta Peters making a triumphant European debut in the title role. One of the performances was broadcast by the BBC. Alas, only a few excerpts from Act III have ever been released on vinyl.

The following aria comes from the beginning of Act III and was not part of Balfe's original score. It is an interpolation (in English translation) from the four act Paris version, "La Bohémienne." Sadly, a complete recording of the longer Paris version (which, according to Balfe biographer William Tyldesley, is considerably different) is not known to exist.


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## peeknocker (Feb 14, 2012)

I also never tire of this romanza from Donizetti's "Maria de Rudenz," here sung by Leo Nucci in a late 1980 RAI telecast (to which I have added English subtitles):


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## Posie (Aug 18, 2013)

"Ah Tutti Contenti"! About 10 years ago, my brother who is now a lawyer (yeah, he's _that_ type) blasted me for playing it so many times, which hurt very deeply because I love it so much. I am just now beginning to listen to it again without the associated pain. It still sounds like heaven. :angel:


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## rgz (Mar 6, 2010)

I think my all-time favorite aria (this month, anyway) might be Martern aller Arten. I could talk about it for an hour. Sure it only has like 14 lines, half of which are repeated over and over again over the 7 minutes of singing, but the lyrics are almost meaningless -- it could be a vocalise for all it matters -- it's the story the music tells. It's really quite brilliant, especially when the singer (or director) gets that it's not an aria of defiance as much as it's an aria of seduction (and the one seducing is not the one singing) and temptation.
Two key moments in the aria -- first one occurs after a melisma where the music goes to a new theme where single instruments take up an invitation while the soprano sings a descending scale ... she's tempted but doesn't give in. A few minutes later it repeats (I think the instruments in the second occurrence of this theme are violin, clarinet, oboe?) and then she DOES almost give in, repeating for the first time that seduction melody in her own voice, before (ideally) violently rejecting it.
It's such a brilliant piece, definitely one of Mozart's finer works in my opinion.


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## AndyS (Dec 2, 2011)

The final scene from Salome
Isolde's Liebestod
The letter scene from Macbeth


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## sabrina (Apr 26, 2011)

My most played opera up to now is Il Barbiere. I am almost addicted to it. It lifts up my spirit when I need some help...

*Il Barbiere* 
Largo al factotum della città
Una voce poco fa
La calunnia è un venticello
A un dottor della mia sorte

*La Cenerentola*
Questo è un nodo avviluppato
Zitto, zitto, piano, piano

*Rigoletto*
Cortigiani, vil razza dannata
Sì! Vendetta, tremenda vendetta!
Bella figlia dell'amore

*La Traviata*
Sempre libera
Di Provenza il mar, il suol chi dal cor ti cancellò?
Addio, del passato bei sogni ridenti

*Die Zauberflöte*
Zu Hilfe! Zu Hilfe
O zittre nicht, mein lieber Sohn
Der Hölle Rache kocht in meinem Herzen
O Isis und Osiris
Pa … pa … pa ...

*Don Giovanni*
Madamina, il catalogo è questo
Là ci darem la mano
Don Giovanni! A cenar teco m'invitasti

And the list goes on...


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## Antony (Nov 4, 2013)

Hi,
I don't know if I can stand an aria for hours, but I can stand for hours with this short list

O mio babbino caro worth 50 minutes of pure hypocrisy in Gianni Schicchi, by Caballe.
Chi il bel sogno di Doretta in La Rondine, by Renata Tebaldi.
Voi che Sepate in Nozze di Figaro, by Frederica von Stade.
Porgi Armor in Nozze, by Elisabeth Schwarzkopf.
Sull'aria in Nozze, by Lucia Popp and Gundula Janowitz.
welche wonne welche lust in Die Entfuhrung aus dem Serail, by Lucia Popp.
Bei Männern, welche Liebe fühlen in Die Zauberflotte, by Dorothea Rosschmann with Keenlyside. 
La ci darem la mano in Da giovanni, by Lucia Popp and Thomas Allen.
2 arias of Queen of Night in Die Zauberflotte, by Lucia Popp.
Une voce poco fa in Il barbiere di Sivilia, by Lucia Popp.
...


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## deggial (Jan 20, 2013)

Reichstag aus LICHT said:


> Sibilar gli angui d'Aletto (Rinaldo)


oh, yea! Handel knew how to write a proper entrance aria. And it's followed up by Furie terribili


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## Revenant (Aug 27, 2013)

Antony said:


> Hi,
> I don't know if I can stand an aria for hours, but I can stand for hours with this short list
> 
> O mio babbino caro worth 50 minutes of pure hypocrisy in Gianni Schicchi, by Caballe.
> ...


I read with pleasure that Lucia Popp pops all over your list. A tragically early loss, her death was. Have you heard her version of Song to the Moon, from Dvorak's Russalka? It's my favorite version.


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## Antony (Nov 4, 2013)

Revenant said:


> I read with pleasure that Lucia Popp pops all over your list. A tragically early loss, her death was. Have you heard her version of Song to the Moon, from Dvorak's Russalka? It's my favorite version.


Hello Mr Revenant,

I'm glad my short list pleases you. Yes, I did. Like you, it's also my favourite version... even I heard Barbara Bonney for countless times, in early of her career, sang the same song. I always come back to Lucia Popp's.


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## Autumn Leaves (Jan 3, 2014)

Die Zauberflöte. Forever and ever, every scene, every aria, in practically any performance. I can listen to the full recording twice a day (and perhaps more, only I have little time!)


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