Sunday Classics preview: I've had this aria in my head for weeks -- no, months. For starters, can you guess who's singing it?

UPDATE, 5am PT: English text of the aria added

Could Jessye Norman be one of our singers?

by Ken

I mean, I just can't get this damned aria out of my head. (It is, by the way, another of those adrenaline-shot-type pieces I can listen to over and over -- 20, 30, 60 times.) It comes under the heading of "Fighting Back Against the System/the Man/whatever you want to call it."

[Our heroine sets off for the Underworld, beyond the river Styx, determined to trade her life for that of her recently deceased husband.]

[0:20 in the "A" performance]
Divinities of the Styx, divinities of the Styx, ministers of death.
I will not invoke your cruel pity.
I will not invoke, I will not invoke
your cruel pity, your cruel pity.
[1:20 in "A"]
I am abducting a tender spouse from his funereal fate,
but to you I abandon a spouse,
but to you I abandon a faithful spouse.
[2:02 in "A"]
Divinities of the Styx, divinities of the Styx, ministers of death.
To die for one you love, for one you love, is too sweet an undertaking,
a virtue so natural, so natural.
My heart is animated by the noblest, the noblest transport.
[3:17 in "A"]
I feel a new strength.
I am going where my love calls me.
I feel a new strength.
I am going where my love calls me.
My heart is animated by the noblest transport.
[3:46 in "A"]
Divinities of the Styx, divinities of the Styx, ministers of death.
I will not invoke your cruel pity.
I will not invoke, I will not invoke
your cruel pity, your cruel pity.

A


B


C


D


E


F


Also note how differently our six conductors handle the powerful orchestral accompaniment. Each "gets" certain things in a way that the others don't, in a way that makes it all but impossible to determine a clear "winner," or "losers." Who do you think gets the most overall?


JUST TO JUMP-START THE THING A BIT:

Let me tell you that five of our six singers are on the following list:

Janet Baker [right]
Rose Bampton
Teresa Berganza
Inge Borkh
Christine Brewer
Grace Bumbry
Suzanne Danco
Eileen Farrell
Kirsten Flagstad
Rita Gorr
Marilyn Horne
Jessye Norman
Rosa Ponselle
Leontyne Price
Risë Stevens
Renata Tebaldi
Helen Traubel
Anne Sofie von Otter
Dolora Zajick [below]

Note that all of the above singers have left recordings of our aria. The list, as you can see, is not only a distinguished one but quite a varied one -- there are at least three kinds of voices represented here -- which for sure says something about the piece.

Again, only five of our mystery singers are on the list. The sixth name you'll have to come up with on your own. (And if you can't . . . well, really now.)

I should also point out that while all our singers are singing the same aria, two of them aren't singing the same thing as the others.

I don't know how exactly we're going to handle this. I had thought of not introducing the list of names till tomorrow morning or afternoon, but that ship has sailed. Maybe now I might add the vocal text during the day? Yes, I'm liking that. Perhaps noonish ET?

I'm still thinking of providing full identifications in tomorrow night's preview post -- the only thing being, what would I offer then in the main post Sunday? I really don't have an elaborate theme up my sleeve. I've just been needing to have us listen to this amazing aria.

Of course I can think of another extremely famous aria by the same composer, though from a different opera, which we might want to listen to along with this one -- and maybe also the opening scene of that other opera.

I guess we'll just have to see how it goes, with the understanding that I won't be able to monitor traffic in the hours before tomorrow night's post, since I'll be at the New York Gilbert & Sullivan Players' new production of Ruddigore. Hey, The Mikado last week wasn't terrible! And they can quote me. This is about as good as it gets with NYG&SP (In lights: "Not terrible" -- DWTKenInNY.)

Of course, feel free to identify the aria as well as the singers, or just to comment on the music and/or any apsect of the performances.

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