E lucevan le stelle - Tosca

And the stars shone,

And the earth was fragrant

The garden gate creaked

And a step brushed the sand.

Fragrant, she entered,

And fell in to my arms.

O sweet kisses, o lingering caresses,

While I, quivering, unveiled her beauty.

My dream of love has vanished forever.

Time is fleeing, I die despairing!

And I have never so loved life!

See Placido Domingo in a 1992 production in which Tosca was performed in the exact places of the libretto, in something close to real time. The orchestra was a few miles away.

 1992, Conductor: Zubin Mehta