Tuesday, November 6, 2012

Re dell’abisso, affrettati – Un Ballo in Maschera



Commoners
Quiet... you must not disturb the incantation.
The devil will be here to talk soon.

Ulrica
King of the Abyss, make haste,
Plunge down through the skies,
Without soaring, the lightning
Penetrates my roof.
Now three times, the hoopoe
Breathed on high;
The fire breathing salamander
Hissed three times...
And the groaning of the tombs
Spoke to me three times.

Riccardo
I’m going to the front!

Commoners
Villain, get in the back.
Oh, how everything shines with darkness!

Ulrica
It’s him, it’s him! Now I feel
The palpitations again.
The pleasure to burn again
In his awful embrace!
The light of the future
He holds in his left hand.
He was pleased with my spell
He blazes once again:
Nothing, nothing more will be hidden
From my gaze!

Commoners
Long live the witch!

Ulrica
Silence, silence!

Bulgarian contralto Mariana Pentcheva as Ulrica in Verdi's Un Ballo in Maschera. Extraordinary performance! And a stunning low note at the end.

La Scala, 2001. Conductor: Riccardo Muti.

No comments:

Post a Comment