Translation of "Libiamo Ne'Lieti Calici"
Leslie M Uram
aforementoined, or an internet source for same. I am a beginner opera lover
and I saw this on DVD sung by The Three Tenors, and I loved it.
Thank you !
Marcia Dietrich
Hi Leslie,
Another Three Tenors convert! That song is actually a duet between a
man (tenor) and woman (soprano) in the opera, and reworked for the 3T's
to sing together. I know in the LA 3T concert Domingo begins the famale
part, and you can see Carreras laughing at him a bit.
This is the translation from the booklet that comes with the LA 3 T
video:
"Let us drink from the goblets of joy
adorned with beauty,
and the fleeting hour
shall be adorned with pleasure.
Let us drink to the secret raptures
which love excites,
for this eye
reigns supreme in my heart...
Let us drink, for with wine love
will enjoy more passionate kisses.
With you I can spend
the time with delight.
In life everything is folly
which does not bring pleasure.
Let us be happy, fleeting and rapid
is the delight of love;
it is a flower which blooms and dies,
which can no longer be enjoyed.
Let us be happy; fervent
and enticing words summon us.
*Chorus*
(Be happy... wine and song
and laughter beautify the night;
let the new day find us
in this paradise.)
Life is nothing but pleasure,
as long as one is not in love.
Dont' say that to one who does
not know it.
That is my fate..."
Hope that helps out, try buying one of the first two Three Tenor CD's
since that will have the lyrics and translations for most of what they
sing (except for some of the medley items.)
Marcia
Juan Merello-Galasso
First of all, keep in mind that that is a short part from a really
tragic work, that hasn't anything nuclear to be with the essential
story. it's popular because it's melodically genial, but Verdi never
thought the mistake he was going to origin. The three tenors -a real
horror for seriousness in opera-, confirm that the part is not essential
but just marketing to recruit sentimental and innocent people. I
strongly recommend you to listen the complete work. You will be
delighted and will understand my words. If you like the complete work
you are a real Epera lover in the serious sense of the word. Warmest
regards.
Leslie M Uram wrote:
>
> I would very much appreciate an english translation/lyrics to the
> aforementoined, or an internet source for same. I am a beginner opera lover
> and I saw this on DVD sung by The Three Tenors, and I loved it.
> Thank you !
--
Dr.Juan Merello-Galasso, M.D.
Mark D. Lew
<sa...@reuna.cl> wrote:
> First of all, keep in mind that that is a short part from a really
> tragic work, that hasn't anything nuclear to be with the essential
> story. it's popular because it's melodically genial, but Verdi never
> thought the mistake he was going to origin. The three tenors -a real
> horror for seriousness in opera-, confirm that the part is not essential
> but just marketing to recruit sentimental and innocent people.
As many here know, I am by no means a big fan of the Libiamo, but I really
must strongly disagree with this. The Libiamo most certainly *is* an
essential part of the story. It is essential to the characterization of
both Violetta and Alfredo, and most important it prepares us for what their
relationship means to *her*.
When Violetta says "Tra voi saprò dividere il tempo mio giocondo" and so
forth, she isn't just saying "With you I can spend the time with delight,"
as is dutifully reported in the CD booklet someone quoted here; she is
telling us that she knows she's going to die soon, so she's going to make
the best of what little time she has left by devoting herself to
superficial pleasures. That sets us up for the "Ah fors'è lui", in which
she realizes that with such hedonism she is *not* making the best of it,
and decides to open herself up to her deeper feelings after all. Without
all that, the tragedy is no tragedy at all.
Yes, of course, the Libiamo is a set piece, but the text is certainly not
trivial. If anything is non-essential, its the "Sempre libera", which is
dramatically problematic. The story would make a lot more sense if act one
ended with the aria and the cabaletta were dropped, but of course that
would never do.
mdl
LuciaMim
Date: Fri, Feb 19, 1999 04:13 EST
I certainly agree with you about the importance of the Libiamo, but must
disagree about the Sempre libera. Right after the lines you quote, Violetta
goes on to say Tutto e follia nel mondo cio che non e piacer. That Tutto e
folia is repeated at the end. The "Ah! fors e lui" is a soliloquoy. She is
thinking about these feelings. Which is why Callas stunned many when she
chose to sit very still and stare into the fireplace when she sang it. Then
she shakes it off, like a dream, knowing she is too ill for any long-term
commitment and as in the "Libiamo" all is folly that is not pleasure! This
also reflects her first words, when she is asked if she is up to this party.
"Lo voglio; Al piacer m'affido, ed io sogio con tal farmaco i mali sospir"
Then the chorus answers "Si, la vita s'addoppia al gioir" (Yes, life is
doubled by pleasure) I think the recitative preceding the aria itself is the
more important "Follie! Delirio vanno e questo! Povera donna, sola, abbadonata
in questo popoloso deserto che appellano Parigi - Che spero or piu? Che far
degg'io - Gioire!" And - "Di volutta ne vortici perir" ("Perish in the giddy
whirl of pleasure"). It makes more sense as far as the character of Violetta
is concerned. She doesn't suddenly just give in to love, though she would like
to. She knows the score! She is certainly more street-wise and, at the same
time, practical than Alfredo! She does not make the decision to open herself
up to love until (obviously) between the 1st & 2nd acts. She thinks about it,
decides it's folly for a women like her (she never pretends to be something she
is not) and the only thing open to her is to end her life in wild frenzy of
pleasure (Sempre libera)
Her self-knowledge and awareness of the world and the life she had chosen is
again evident when she tells Germont "Se pur benefico le indulga Iddio, l'uomo
implacabile per lei sara" which I find to be the most poignant words in the
opera - Even if God forgives her, man will always be implacable!
So you are right, and though we must put up with sopranos who overact in both
"Ah! fors'e lui and the"Sempre libera" (unless another Callas comes along), it
seems Verdi knew what he was doing. (BTW, did he not receive advice from
Giuseppina Strepponi whom he did not marry until about 6 years after the opera
was produced. She was in a position to know how Violetta felt - at least to a
point)
Best wishes,
Mimi
GRNDPADAVE
>Date: Sat, Feb 20, 1999 01:49 EST
>Message-id: <19990220014945...@ng-cb1.aol.com>
I think Mimi makes some excellent points here.
-
But I also believe that LA TRAVIATA is one of the shapeliest operas ever
written. It has the form of a four movement symphony -- such as Tchaikovsky
may have written.
-
Act I is an Allegro vivace e molto brilliantissimo, culminating in Violetta's
double aria, the second of which reminds us of the Drinking Song. The first
part of the act is bound by the choral music, the central theme of which is
already heard in the overture to OBERTO. The middle of the act is highlighted
by Alfredo's protestation of love with the beatiful modulation on the word
"mysterioso". The end of the act recalls the brilliance of the opening curtain
music.
-
Act II Scene 1 is an adagietto, centering on the conversational and melodic
dialogue of Germont and Violetta.
-
Act II Scene 2 is a scherzo, albeit a sardonic one, dominated by the feverish
pace of the gambling music (itself adumbrated in the earlier dances). I hear
in this music the relentless and remorseless "Un di quando le veneri" -- the
gentle reminder (curse) that old age will rob Violetta of her charms and
attractiveness.
-
Act III is the finale of this Pathétique. The "Addio del passato" is the
fulfillment of the earlier "Cosi alla misera". "Prendi, quest'e l'imagine" is
the coda. Has anyone noticed how Verdi subtly weaves in a quintet so naturally
into this finale? It neither begins nor ends -- it just happens.
-
Verdi's LA TRAVIATA is not music tacked on to a play -- it is the direct
expression of the emotions joined to a superb symphonic form far more subtle in
its dimensions than anything in Wagner. Only Mozart could have written an
opera of this quality and power. Its incredible strength is that every bar is
the inevitable result of what has preceded it and points forward inexorably to
the dénouement.
-
The opera is not simply its plot -- that offers the groundwork for this superb
musical structure, imho. The story is merely the given -- it is the music that
gives this opera its indestructibility.
-
==G/P Dave
Mark D. Lew
(LuciaMim) wrote:
I have no major disagreement with you about all this. As you recount,
Violetta's feelings are divided, and (in simplified terms) her two options
are expressed in the "Ah! fors'č lui" and the "Sempre libera". And yes, I
agree, that the existence of both pieces of the aria is essential for
showing us both sides of Violetta's feelings.
The confusion is that she ends act one with the "sempre libera" idea,
apparently having made up her mind in that direction. But then act two
begins and -- whoops! -- while you were in the lobby stretching your legs,
she changed her mind again and now she's living in the country with Alfredo
after all. That's what I meant when I said the "sempre libera" is
"dramatically problematic". Dramatically it would make more sense if the
aria and cabaletta were reversed -- or at least if the aria were repeated
after the cabaletta -- but that doesn't work musically.
mdl
GRNDPADAVE
SNIP >>> SNIP
>I have no major disagreement with you about all this. As you recount,
>Violetta's feelings are divided, and (in simplified terms) her two options
>agree, that the existence of both pieces of the aria is essential for
>showing us both sides of Violetta's feelings.
>
>The confusion is that she ends act one with the "sempre libera" idea,
>apparently having made up her mind in that direction. But then act two
>begins and -- whoops! -- while you were in the lobby stretching your legs,
>she changed her mind again and now she's living in the country with Alfredo
>after all. That's what I meant when I said the "sempre libera" is
>"dramatically problematic". Dramatically it would make more sense if the
>aria and cabaletta were reversed -- or at least if the aria were repeated
>after the cabaletta -- but that doesn't work musically.
>
>mdl
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
an off-stage serenade, clearly suggesting that Violetta has not given her final
decision on the subject.
-
Consider what transpires between Acts I and II of Puccini's MANON LESCAUT where
not only have Des Grieux enjoyed their idyllic life, but have also split up.
-
I remember, however, that when I first saw LA TRAVIATA, I thought how much
greater a work RIGOLETTO is because all of its drama is presented to the
audience.
-
One rarely commented item about TRAVIATA is the ingenious business of having
the curtain raised during the playing of the Act III prelude. Verdi has
virtually written an impressionistic piece of chamber music that paints the
scene in both its quiet and the sadness of its desolation.
-
"Sempre libera" -- getting back to your original point -- I hear as a
reflection of Violetta's feverish state. It is heard again as "Non sapete,
quale affetto" -- a desperate reflection. And I hear it yet again in the
measures that accompany Alfredo's entrance in the final scene.
-
"Sempre libera" is but another thread in this tapestry. It gives variety to
Violetta's portrait. She is, for me, the most vivid -- and intelligent -- of
Verdi's heroines. Her death is a tragedy for all. She becomes Germont's
"daughter" and that is why it is a superb element of Piave's sensibility that
Germont is able to repent of the sorrow he has brought about.
-
==G/P Dave
LuciaMim
Date: Sat, Feb 20, 1999 07:34 EST
Ah! Dave, then we must really give credit to Verdi. Your comment about her
intelligence is something that is forgotten about the original in the book and
play and even the young woman on whose life they were based. She was described
as being very different from other "courtesans" - taller, more slender and more
intelligent. Not the current ideal of beauty. Thus, she stood out. I too
believe Verdi did a magnificent job of portraying this very young, intelligent
doomed heroine. It is easy for many to lump her with Mimi. But there is so
much more to her. Reading all the words is so important, every word she says
has importance. When Germont reminds her "ma volubile sovente e l'uom" she
knows exactly what he means and interrupts him with Gran Dio! before he
continues to draw her a picture of what will happen when boredom has put carnal
desire to flight. She knows the nature of men better than this gentleman from
Provence. Then when she agrees, the poignant "Qual figlia m'abbraciate" reminds
me, at least, that this young girl had only known pain and dishonor from her
own father. I have always felt that there is a touch of wistfulness (envy,
possibly) when she sings "Dite alla giovine." The greatest singers
(Callas,e.g.) of this role color the "pura" in "si bella e pura" and I have
even heard a trembling on it which is heart-wrenching. Then, of course, the
feverishness overtakes her in the "Non sapete quale affetto" as she tells
Germont she has no friends (despite the big parties) no living relatives, that
all she has is an illness which will shorten her life - but if she has to give
up her love, she would rather die. She begs Germont "Qual figlia m'abbraciate"
but it is she who breaks the embrace, probably realizing that this is the last
loving embrace she will know. Now she is strong, telling Germont he will have
his son back but he will be deeply grieved and will need consoling. So she
must make Alfredo hate her in order to complete the sacrifice she promises to
Germont. The other options he proposes she knows will not work and she sees
more than we do that Germont would not approve of her plan, so she refuses to
tell him. Which should, if one reflects upon it, make us feel less upset with
Germont than we usually do.
To return for a moment to the "Sempre Libera" initially she sings it to talk
herself out of the madness of love and a real relationship. Then she hears
Alfredo singing of love outside her window. When she repeats the aria, it is
with more frenzy. I have heard the notion put forth that Alfredo never sings
outside her window. This sort of thing isn't done in Paris at this time, in
fact it is ludicrous and Alfredo, a provincial, would be the least likely.
Rather her fever had overtaken her and she only imagines she hears him. I find
that an interesting notion and quite plausible. It doesn't require any change
in the opera, just another insight into the heroine. She is struggling with
herself and I think that when the aria is repeated one can even say "methinks
the Lady doth protest too much" And we have to remember, she had barely
recovered from an illness that could have been her last. Therefore, it should
not come as a total shock that she has changed her mind. The "Ah! fors e lui"
is the wistful, sentimental Violetta who we see again in the scene with
Germont, the recitative preceding "Sempre libera" is the down to earth woman
who knows better. "Povera donna sola, abbandonata in questo popoloso deserto
che appellano Parigi" shows us the young woman who understands Germont's
meaning before he needs to spell it out. Obviously, what has happened between
Act I and Act II is that she decided to let her heart dictate to her mind,
rather than the other way around. Love is not an option when she is seriously
considering the matter. But the heart . . .that can change and does. But we
are made aware that what happens at the end of the second act was what she had
feared, she had let emotion rule her mind and now she was in pain, a pain worse
than her illness with which she had come to terms before we ever meet her in
Act I. There is a feverish tone in the beginning when we meet her (of course,
the fever is mentioned) and there is a feverishness at the end of the act. It
balances so beautifully. In the first act Verdi shows us this beautiful
pleasure-loving young woman and only gives us glimpses of her more vulnerable
nature. It is not until later, that we realize that the exquiste courtesan of
the first act is a facade, a mask of protection that she set aside only after
painful inner struggles - thus the importance of Sempre libera.
Mimi
Enrique Eskenazi
luci...@aol.com (LuciaMim) wrote:
>She was described
>as being very different from other "courtesans" - taller, more slender
and more
>intelligent. Not the current ideal of beauty.
In brief...Greta Garbo! :-)
---
Enrique
eske...@mail.sendanet.es
Io chi sono? Eh, non lo so.
-Nol sapete?
Quasi no.