From a dramatic point of view, the da capo aria form may seem strange to us today—
after all, why would a character repeat words he or she had already sung? But the
reason for this wasn’t dramatic, it was musical: it gave the singer a chance to dazzle
and shine, and it gave the audience what they had come for.
As it is used in The Enchanted Island today, all of the dazzling effects of this aria—
the unusual string techniques, the falsetto voice, and dazzling vocal display—prepare
us for the magical evening that will follow. Each of the techniques we have discussed
can be interpreted as sonic special effects or musical magic tricks. Combined with
the mysterious, dark, minor mode of the piece and with the slow, serious, stately
tempo, these sounds lend an ethereal, otherworldly, and yet commanding quality
to the character who sings it. In this case, the character is Prospero, the enigmatic,
aging sorcerer that rules this island. When the curtain opens, the music tells us who
he is even before he utters a single word.
The below chart includes the original Italian text of “Ah, ch’infelice sempre,” its
English translation, and Sams’s new text for The Enchanted Island.
ITALIAN TEXT
ENGLISH TRANSLATION
THE ENCHANTED ISLAND VERSION
Ah, ch’infelice sempre
me vuol Dorilla ingrata.
Ah, sempre più spietata
Ah, always unhappy ungrateful
Dorilla wants me to remain.
Ah, ever more ruthlessly
Ah, if you would earn your freedom, then do
as I command you.
I may be growing older;
Ah, sempre più spietata
Ah, ever more ruthlessly
still, I am still your master.
M’astringe a lagrimar.
She wrings tears out of me.
Your fate is in my hands,
Ah, m’astringe a lagrimar.
Ah, she wrings tears out of me.
Yes, remember your fate is in my hands.
Ah, ch’infelice sempre
me vuol Dorilla ingrata.
Ah, always unhappy ungrateful
Dorilla wants me to remain.
If you would earn your freedom, then do as I
command you.
Ah, sempre più spietata
M’astringe a lagrimar.
Ah, ever more ruthlessly
She wrings tears out of me.
Though I am growing older, remember what
you are, what you are.
Ah, sempre più spietata
Ah, sempre più spietata
Ah, ever more ruthlessly
Ah, ever more ruthlessly
And in your fierce frustration,
Do not forget your station.
M’astringe a lagrimar, ah
lagrimar.
She wrings tears out of me.
You must do as your master commands, as I
command.
Per me v’è, no,
non v’è ristoro,
For me, no,
For me there is no remedy,
Have you forgotten
How I once freed you?
Per me non v’è no
Non v’è più speme
For me, there is none
For me there is no hope,
See how you treat me,
Now that I need you!
e il fier martoro
e le mie pene
And my bitterness
And my sorrows
Haughty and moody,
Thus you repay me.
e il fier martoro
e le me pene
And my bitterness
And my sorrows
P’raps I should teach you
how to obey me?
Solo la morte può consolar,
Only death can console
If I should need you this is my will.
Solo la morte può consolar,
può consolar
Only death can console
All my wishes are yours, yours to fulfill.
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