East Village Opera Company
OVERTURE - Le Nozze di Figaro
CHE GELIDA MANINA - La Bohème
QUESTA O QUELLA – Rigoletto
FLOWER DUET – Lakmé
UN BEL DI - Madama Butterfly
NESSUN DORMA – Turandot
O MIO BABBINO CARO - Gianni Schicchi
WHERE ERE YOU WALK- Semele
M’APPARI- Martha
LA DONNA È MOBILE – Rigoletto
HABANERA - Carmen
AU FOND DU TEMPLE SAINT – Les pêcheurs de perles
WHEN I AM LAID IN EARTH - Dido and Aeneas
VESTI LA GIUBBA- Pagliacci
Program and players subject to change
Keyboards: Peter Kiesewalter
Female Vox: AnnMarie Milazzo
Male Vox: Tyley Ross
Guitar: Marc Copely
Bass: Richard Hammond
Drums: Jeff Lipstein
Violin 1: Pauline Harris
Violin 2: Lynn Bechtold
Cello: Christine Kim
Sound: David Swanson
Lights: KJ Hardy
Management: Brick Wall Management
Agency: CAMI
The East Village Opera Company are exclusive recording artists for Decca/Universal
For more information or to visit the online store please visit:
www.eastvillageoperacompany.com
OVERTURE - Le Nozze di Figaro
1786 - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Before Mozart, opera was seen as an exclusively upper class art form, reflected not only in its
audiences but also in the characters on stage. Things changed with Le Nozze Di Figaro, the story
of a servant who stands up to his boss and outwits his master. The opera was dangerously
subversive for its time in the years leading up to the French revolution, presaging the spirit of
rock and roll by almost 200 years and the Who’s "Won’t get fooled again" in particular, with its
call for revolution and change.
CHE GELIDA MANINA - La Bohème
1896 - Giacomo Puccini, Libretto by Giuseppe Illica and Luigi Giacosa
La Boheme is the story of four hipsters in the Latin Quarter of Paris, a neighborhood that shares
historic similarities with the East Village. In this song a poor poet and his sickly neighbour
fumble in the dark hallway looking for her lost keys; he accidentally touches her hand, and
instantly falls in love, after baring his soul, perhaps knowing that he’s said too much, he says,
“Now you know me. Who are you?"
Che gelida manina, se la lasci riscaldar.
What an icy little hand, let me warm it for you.
Cercar che giova?
What’s the use of searching?
Al buio non si trova.
In the dark not we will not find it.
Ma per fortuna e una notte di luna
But by good luck, it’s a moonlit night
E qui la luna, l’abbiamo vicina.
And the moonlight, is all around us.
Aspetti signorina, le diro con due parole
Wait, miss, I will tell you in two words
Chi son e che faccio, come vivo.
Who I am and what I do, and how I live.
Vuole? Chi son? Sono un poeta.
Would you like that? Who am I? I’m a poet.
Che cosa faccio? Scrivo.
What do I do? I write.
E come vivo? Vivo!
And how do I live? I live!
In poverta mia lieta,
In poverty I am happy,
Scialo da gran signore
Like a great lord I squander
Rime ed inni d’amore
Rhymes and hymns of love
Per sogni e per chimere, e per castelli in aria
For dreams and illusions and for castles in the
air
L’anima ho milionaria.
I have the soul of a millionaire.
Talor dal mio forziere
At times from my coffer
Ruban tutti gioielli due ladri gli occhi belli.
All my jewels are stolen by two thieves: your
beautiful eyes.
V’entrar con voi pur ora,
They entered with you just now,
ed I bei sogni usati
and the familiar dreams
Ed I bei sogni miei tosto si dileguar
And the beautiful dreams quickly disappeared
Ma il furto non m’accora
But the theft doesn’t grieve me
Poiche v’ha preso stanza la speranza!
Because in their place there is now hope.
Or che mi conoscete, parlate voi
Now that you know me, speak of yourself
Deh parlate, chi siete?
Come speak, who are you?
Vi piaccia dir!
Would it please you to tell?
Chi Siete? Chi siete?
Who are you? Who are you?
QUESTA O QUELLA – Rigoletto
1851 – Giuseppe Verdi, libretto by Francesco Maria Piave
“Which woman shall I have tonight? It doesn’t matter cause they’re all the same! “ This song
ranks as one of the great misogynistic rants from the opera canon; a 19th century theme song for a
guy’s night on the town.
Questa o quella per me pari sono
This woman or that are just the same to me,
a quant’ altre d’ intorno mi vedo.
As any other that I can see.
Del mio core 1’impero non cedo
I won't give the power of my heart
meglio ad una che ad altre belta
To this beauty nor to the others.
La costoro avvenenza è qual dono
Their charm is a gift
di che il fato ne infiora la vita;
Given by destiny to beautify their lives;
S’oggi questa mi torna gradita,
If today I love this one,
forse un’ altra doman lo sarà.
I'll probably love someone else tomorrow.
La costanza tiranna del core
Constancy is the tyrant of the heart,
Detestiamo qual morbo crudele,
That we detest like a cruel plague,
Sol chi vuole si serbi fedele;
Let him keep faith who will;
Non v’ha amor, se non v’è libertà.
There is no love without freedom.
De’ mariti il geloso furore,
The rage of jealous husbands
degli amanti le smanie derido;
And lovers' woes I deride,
Anco d'Argo i cent’occhi disfido
I can defy Argo's hundred eyes
se mi punge una qualche beltà
If a beautiful girl entices me.
FLOWER DUET - Lakmé
1883 - Léo Delibes, libretto by Edmond Gondinet and Philippe Gille
An Indian girl and her female slave slip off to the waters’ edge while singing about birds, lotuses, and
the river’s current… renowned in the opera world for its Sapphic subtext.
Sous le dome epais
Ou le blanc jasmin a la rose s’assemble
Sur la rive en fleurs, riant au matin
Viens, descendons ensemble
Doucement glisson de sons flot charmant
Suivons le courant fuyant
Dans l’onde fremissante
D’une main nonchalante
Viens, gagnons le bord ou la source dort
Et l’oiseau chante
Sous le dome epais, sous le blanc jasmin
Ah, descendons ensemble.
Under the thick dome
Where the white jasmine blends with the rose
Over the banks in bloom, laughing in the cool morning
Come, let’s go down together.
Gently slipping in its charming waves
Following the fleeting current.
In the quivering waves,
With an unhurried hand
Come, let us reach the bank where the source sleeps
And the bird sings.
Under the thick dome, under the white jasmine,
Ah, let’s go down together.
Mais je ne sais quelle crainte subite s’empare de moi
Quand mon pere va seul a leur ville maudite
Je tremble, je tremble d’effroi!
I don’t know what sudden fear takes hold of me
When my father goes alone to their accursed city,
I tremble, I tremble with fear.
Pourque le Dieu Ganeca le protége
Jusqua l’etang ou s’ebattent joyeux
Les cygnes aux ailes de neige,
Allons cueillir les lotus bleus.
May Ganesh protect him
Up to the pond where happily frolic
The swans with wings of snow,
Let us gather the blue lotus.
UN BEL DI - Madama Butterfly
1904 - Giacomo Puccini, libretto by Giuseppe Giacosa and Luigi Illica
It was a surprise to many that this aria –and the whole opera in general– was
so derisively booed at its premiere, but mostly to Puccini who proclaimed Madama
Butterfly his favorite. Nevertheless, Cio-Cio-San’s faith in the return of her deadbeat military
husband makes for one of the saddest and most beautiful arias ever.
Un bel dì, vedremo levarsi un fil di fumo
Sull'estremo confin del mare
E poi la nave appare.
Poi la nave è bianca. entra nel porto
romba il suo saluto.
Vedi? È venuto!
Io non gli scendo incontro, io no.
Mi metto là sul ciglio del colle
E aspetto e aspetto gran tempo e non mi pesa la lunga attesa.
One fine day I’ll see a thread of smoke rising
At the farthest edge of the sea
the ship will appear.
The white ship will enter the port…
thundering its greeting.
You see? He has come!
I won’t go down toward him.
I’ll place myself at the edge of the hill
and wait, but waiting a long time won’t bother me.
E uscito dalla folla cittadina
Un uomo, un picciol punto, s'avvia per la collina.
Chi sarà? Chi sarà?
E come sarà giunto
Che dirà? Che dirà?
Chiamerà Butterfly dalla lontana
Io senza far risposta, me ne starò nascosta
Un po' per celia, un po' per non morire
Al primo incontro, ed egli al quanto in pena chiamerà:
"Piccina, mogliettina, Olezzo di verbena"
I nomi che mi dava al suo venire.
Tutto questo avverrà, te lo prometto
Tienti la tua paura – Io con sicura fede
L’aspetto.
And coming from the crowded city,
A man, like a tiny dot, will start up the hill.
Who is it? Who is it?
And when he gets here
What will he say? What will he say?
He will call me Butterfly from far away.
I won’t answer, I’ll stay hiden
A bit just to tease, and to keep from dying.
At the first meeting, quite worried he will call:
“Little one, little wife, perfume of verbena”
The names that he gave me before.
All of this will happen, I promise you.
Keep your fear. I have faith.
I will wait for him.
NESSUN DORMA - Turandot
1926 – Giacomo Puccini, libretto by Giuseppe Adami and Renato Simoni
Have you ever watched a friend fall in love with positively the wrong person? In Puccini’s final
opera, the protagonist Calaf loses his mind for the nasty Princess Turandot. Having already
reneged on one deal, Turandot agrees to another: if she is unable to discover Calaf’s true name
by morning, she will marry him. However, if she does find out, she gets to cut off his head. Most
guys would run- Calaf chooses instead to sing this song.
Puccini himself died before he could finish this opera.
Nessun dorma, nessun dorma!
Tu pure, o Principessa,
Nella tua fredda stanza guardi le stelle
Che tremano d’amore e di speranza!
Ma il mio mistero e chiuso in me,
Il nome mio nessun sapra!
No, no sulla tua bocca lo diro,
Quando la luce splendera!
Ed il mio bacio sciogliera il silenzio
Che ti fa mia!
No-one sleep, no-one sleep!
You too princess,
In your cold room looking at the stars
That tremble with love and with hope!
But my mystery is held within me,
No-one will know my name!
No, I will place it on your mouth
When the daylight shines!
And my kiss will undo the silence
That makes you mine!
Dilegua, o notte! Tramontate, stelle
All’alba vincero, vincero, vincero!
Disappear night, set stars!
At the dawn I will win!
O MIO BABBINO CARO - Gianni Schicchi
1918 - Giacomo Puccini libretto by Giovacchino Forzano
The singer asks for father’s permission to pursue a love interest, begging for his mercy. That
seems to be somewhat of an archaic dilemma in this day and age, so we added the point of view
of the coy but frustrated lover. Our homage to the great Marvin Gaye is not restricted to the
bridge – knowing Marvin's tragic fate at the hands of his father is one of the reasons we took a
slightly more sinister harmonic approach.
O mio babbino caro,
Mi piace, è bella bella
Vo’ andare in Porta Rossa a comperar l’anello!
Oh my daddy dear
I like her she is beautiful
I want to go to Porta Rossa to buy the ring.
Sì, sì ci voglio andare!
E se l’amassi indarno
Andrei sul Ponte Vecchio,
Ma per buttarmi in Arno!
Mi struggo e mi tormento!
O Dio, vorrei morir!
Babbo pietà!
Yes, yes, there I wish to go!
And if I were to love her in vain
I’d go to the Vecchio bridge
To throw myself into the Arno,
I pine and I’m tormented
Oh God, I would like to die.
Daddy, mercy
M’APPARI- Martha
1847 - Friedrich von Flotow, libretto by Friedrich Wilhelm Riese
Rejected by the woman he loves, Lionel sings ‘you have stolen my piece of mind, and I shall die
of grief’. Originally written in German as “Ach so fromm”, this aria quickly caught the attention
of Bel Canto tenors, and is now most often performed in Italian.
M'appari
tutt' amor,
il mio sguardo l'incontro:
bella si che il mio cor,
ansioso a lei volo:
mi feri, m'invaghi
quell'angelica belta,
sculta in cor dall'amor
cancellarsi non potra:
il pensier di poter
palpitar con lei d'amor,
puo sopir il martir
che m'affana e stranzia il cor
She appeared to me, full of love
My eyes caught sight of her
She was so beautiful that my heart
Flew to her with longing
Wounded me, inflamed me
With her angelic beauty
Which love has engraved in my heart
And which cannot be erased
And the mere thought
Of her responding to my passion
Can appease the suffering
Which distresses me and breaks my heart
M'appari
tutt' amor,
il mio sguardo l'incontro:
bella si che il mio cor,
ansioso a lei volo:
Marta, Marta, tu sparisti
e il mio cor col tuo n'ando!
Tu la pace
mi rapisti,
di dolor io moriro.
She appeared to me, full of love
My eyes caught sight of her
She was so beautiful that my heart
Flew to her with longing
Martha, Martha, you have vanished
And my heart went with you!
You have stolen my peace of mind
I shall die of grief
LA DONNA È MOBILE - Rigoletto
1851 – Giuseppe Verdi, libretto by Francesco Maria Piave
It wasn’t this opera’s degrading representation of women that angered the elite, nor was it the
boozing and whoring. What really pissed off the European royal courts was the portrayal of a
boozing and whoring King. Originally titled “Le Roi s’amuse” (the king amuses himself) and set
in the French court of Francois I, Verdi was forced to change the title and center the story around
a fictitious Duke of Mantua before it was finally deemed suitable by the courts’ heavy handed
censors.
La donna e mobile qual piuma al vento,
muta d’accento e di pensiero
Sempre un amabile leggiadro viso,
in pianto o in riso e menzognero.
The woman is fickle; like a feather in the wind
She-changes words and thoughts
Always a loveable, pretty face
In weeping or in laughter, she is lying.
La donna e mobil qual piuma al vento
muta d’accento e di pensier
The woman is fickle; like a feather in the wind
she changes words and thoughts
E sempre misero chi a lei s’affida
Chi le confida mal cauto il core
Pur mai non sentesi felice appieno
Chi su quel seno non liba amore!
His is always wretched
Who heedlessly entrusts to her his heart
Yet he does not feel happy completely
If on that breast he does not drink love
HABANERA (L’AMOUR EST UN OISEAU REBELLE) - Carmen
1875 - Georges Bizet, libretto by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halevy
While the Habanera, in our opinion, doesn’t really sound like a traditional Spanish folk song, Bizet was
successful in establishing the character of Carmen in this aria – that of a coquettish, flirtatious, and extremely
confident seductress.
L'amour est un oiseau rebelled Que nul ne peut apprivoiser,
Et c'est bien en vain qu'on l'appelle, S'il lui convient de refuser.
Rien n'y fait, menace ou prière, L'un parle bien, l'autre se tait; Et c'est
l'autre que je préfère Il n'a rien dit; mais il me plaît.
Love is a rebel bird that no one can tame.
In vain you call it, because it will refuse.
One lover speaks well. The other says nothing…
And the lover who says nothing pleases me.
L'amour!
Love…
L'amour est enfant de Bohême, Il n'a jamais, jamais connu de loi,
Si tu ne m'aime pas, je t'aime, Si je t'aime, prend garde à toi!
Love is a bohemian child. It has never known the law.
If you do not love me, I’ll love you. And if I love you, watch out!
L'oiseau que tu croyais surprendre Battit de l'aile et s'envola;
L'amour est loin, tu peux l'attendre;
Tu ne l'attend plus, il est là!
Tout autour de toi vite, vite, Il vient, s'en va, puis il revient!
Tu crois le tenir, il t'évite;
Tu crois l'éviter, il te tient!
The bird that you tried to surprise flew away.
Love is far away, you can wait for it.
When you don’t wait, love takes hold of you.
All around you, quickly, it comes, it goes and comes again!
You think you can hold it, it avoids you,
You think to avoid it, it captures you
Si tu ne m'aime pas, si tu ne m'aime pas, je t'aime,
Mais si je t'aime, Si je t'aime, prend garde à toi!
If you do not love me, I’ll love you.
And if I love you, watch out!
AU FOND DU TEMPLE SAINT from Les pêcheurs de perles
1863- George Bizet, libretto by Eugene Cormon and Michel Carre
Two guys reminisce about a goddess they both drooled over years ago – proof that a silly libretto
and great music can still make for great opera. Bizet, 24 years old at the time, had under two
months to complete the three act piece, which yielded one of the most enduring duets in the
repertoire. Normally sung by two men, we’ve given it an East Village twist.
Au fond du temple saint,
Paré de fleurs et d'or,
Une femme apparaît,
Je crois la voir encore!
At the back of the temple
Adorned with flowers and gold
A woman appears.
I think I see her still
Oui, c'est elle! C'est la déesse
Plus charmante et plus belle!
Yes it’s her! She is the goddess
Even more charming and more beautiful!
Mais à travers la foule
Elle s'ouvre un passage!
Son long voile déjà
Nous cache son visage!
Through the crowd
She opens a path
Her long veil
Hides her face from us.
Mon regard, hélas! La cherche en vain!
Our eyes seek her in vain.
La foule prosternée, la regarde, etonnée,
Et murmure tous bas: Voyez, c'est la déesse!
Qui dans l'ombre se dresse
Et vers nous tend les bras!
Son voile se soulève!
Ô vision! ô rêve!
La foule est à genoux!
The crowd kneels, looking at her in astonishment.
They whisper: Look, she is the Goddess.
From the shadows she rises
Holding out her arms to us!
She lifts her veil!
Oh vision! Oh dream!
The crowd is kneeling.
Oui, c'est elle! C'est la déesse!
En ce jour qui vient nous unir,
Et fidèle à ma promesse,
Comme un frère je veux te chérir!
C'est elle, c'est la déesse
Qui vient en ce jour nous unir!
Oui, partageons le même sort,
Soyons unis jusqu'à la mort!
Yes it’s her! She is the goddess
Who comes this day to unite us.
And faithful to my promise,
Like a brother, I want to cherish you!
It’s her, she is the goddess
Who comes on this day to unify us.
Yes, we will share the same fate,
We will be unified until death.
WHEN I AM LAID IN EARTH (DIDO’S LAMENT) - Dido and Aeneas
1689 - Henry Purcell, libretto by Nahum Tate
Heartbroken that her lover Aeneas has skipped town, Dido asks to be remembered for how she
lived her life and not for how she chooses to end it. Our version has an additional voice of
remembrance: one that binds the ending of one life to the beginning of another.
When I am laid, am laid in earth,
May my wrongs create no trouble in thy breast.
Remember me, but ah forget my fate.
VESTI LA GIUBBA from I pagliacci
1892- Ruggero Leoncavallo
How does a clown deal with heartbreak? If his scene partner has broken his heart, and ‘the show
must go on’ all he can do is use his pain to make the audience laugh… or dance.
Recitar!... mentre preso dal delirio
To perform! In the throes of delirium
non so più quel che dico
I don't know anymore what I'm saying,
e quel che faccio!
Or what I'm doing!
Eppur... è d'uopo... sforzati!
Still... you must... force yourself!
Bah! Sei tu forse un uom?
Bah! Are you a man or not?
Tu se' Pagliaccio!
You're just a clown!
Vesti la giubba, e la faccia infarina.
La gente paga e rider vuole qua.
E se Arlecchin t'invola Colombina,
ridi, Pagliacco, e ognun applaudirà!
Tramuta in lazzi lo spasmo ed il pianto,
in una smorfia il singhiozzo e'l dolor
Ah! Ridi, Pagliaccio,sul tuo amore infranto.
Ridi del duol che t'avvelena il cor.
Put on your costume, and make up your face.
People are paying, they want to laugh.
And if Arlecchino takes away your Colombina,
Laugh, you clown, and everyone will cheer!
Turn your agony and your tears into buffoonery,
Your sobbing and pain into a funny grimace
Ah! Laugh, you clown, at your broken love.
Laugh at the pain which poisons your heart.