Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Sono andati? - La Boheme


Mimi
Are they gone? I was pretending to sleep
So I could be alone with you
I have so many things that I want to say to you
Or just one, but it’s as big as the sea
As deep and infinite as the sea
You are my love and my whole life ...

Rodolfo
Ah, Mimì, my beautiful Mimì!

Mimì
Am I still beautiful?

Rodolfo
As beautiful as the dawn.

Mimì
You made the wrong comparison.
You meant: as beautiful as a sunset.
"They call me Mimì,
They call me Mimì
I don’t know why."

Rodolfo
He returned the swallow and the chirps to the nest.

Mimì
My bonnet, my bonnet!
Ah! Do you remember when
I came here, that first time, there?

Rodolfo
I remember it!

Mimì
The light had gone out…

Rodolfo
You were so upset!
And then you lost the key.

Mimì
You were looking so hard for it.

Rodolfo
Looking and looking.

Mimì
My dear sir,
I can tell you now:
You found it very quickly.

Rodolfo
I was helping destiny.

Mimì
It was dark and you could not see me blushing
"What a cold little hand
If you warm it up!..."
It was dark and you took my hand.

Placido Domingo and Mirella Freni in the final act of Puccini's La Boheme.

3 comments:

  1. I think that it would be great if you could go on a series of opera, so every day or so, you could post scene after scene of a selected opera. This would give some sense of flow and narrative to your posts, on a small, and also larger scale. But just a suggestion.

    I came from a video of this last scene, it is the first opera I watched when I was very young. I don't remember much about how I felt about it then, but I love it now.

    Thanks for posting this.

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  2. I may have seen this exact scene in the late 80s.at the Met.
    Freni was magnificent that night. Domingo also. The snow
    scene was outstanding.

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    Replies
    1. I as there in the 80s. Freni stole the night.
      The crowd loved her.

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