Ruggiero Leoncavallo

...

Che gelida manina! Se la lasci riscaldar. How cold your little hand is! Will you let me warm it for you?

Cercar che giova? Al buio non si trova. Why bother looking? It's dark, and we won't find it.

Ma per fortuna e una notte di luna, It's our good luck, though, this night's filled with moonlight,

E qui la luna l'abbiiamo vicina. Up here the moonlight could rest on our shoulders.

Aspetti, signorina, le diro con due parole chi son,

Please wait, my dear young lady, and I will quickly tell you

Chi son, e che faccio, come vivo, Vuole?

Who stands before you, and what I do, How I make my living. May I?

Chi son? Chi son? Son un poeta. Who am I? What am I? I am a poet.

Che cosa faccio? Scrivo. E come vivo? Vivo.

What keeps me busy? Writing! And what do I live on? Nothing!

In poverta mia lieta scialo da gran signore In poverty I'm cheerful, I am a prince who squanders

Rimi ed inni d'amore. Arias and couplets of longing.

Per sogni e per chimere e per castelli in aria And as for hopes and dreams of love and castles-in-the-air,

L'anima ho milionaria. Miss, I am a millionaire!

Talor del mio forziere ruban tutti My fortress could be broken in, robbed clean of the fine jewels

I gioielle due ladri: gli occhi belli. I store; if the thieves were eyes like yours.

V'entrar con voi pur ora ed i miei sogni usati, And now that I have seen you, all of my lovely dreaming,

Ed i bei sogni miei tosto si dileguar! All of the sweetest dreams I've dreamt, quickly have slipped away.

Ma il furto non m'accora poiche, This theft does not upset me, because such treasures

Poiche v'ha preso stanza la speranza. Mean nothing now that I'm rich with sweet hope!

Or che mi conoscete parlate voi. And now that you have met me, I ask you please,

Deh parlate. Chi siete? Vi piaccia dir? Tell me, lady, who you are, I ask you please!

Mimi responds with the famous (and difficult) aria “Mi chiamano Mimi”, introducing herself as a very ordinary person, a seamtress who also makes silk flowers

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TOSCA (1900)

Character: Tosca is a well known opera singer in Rome

Famous arias:

Vissi d’arte (I lived for art )

sung by Tosca when she has to make her very difficult choice

Vissi d'arte, vissi d'amore, I lived for art, I lived for love,

non feci mai male ad anima viva! I never did harm to a living soul!

Con man furtive With a secret hand

quante miserie conobbi aiutai. I relieved as many misfortunes as I knew of.

Sempre con fè sincera Ever in true faith

la mia preghiera My prayer

ai santi tabernacoli salì. Rose to the holy shrines.

Sempre con fè sincera Ever in true faith

diedi fiori agli altar. I gave flowers to the altar.

Nell'ora del dolore In the hour of grief

perché, perché, Signore, Why, why, Lord,

perché me ne rimuneri così? Why do you reward me thus?

Diedi gioielli della Madonna al manto, I gave jewels for the Madonna's mantle,

e diedi il canto agli astri, al ciel, And songs for the stars, in heaven,

che ne ridean più belli. That shone forth with greater radiance.

Nell'ora del dolore, In the hour of grief

perché, perché, Signore, Why, why, Lord,

ah, perché me ne rimuneri così? Ah, why do you reward me thus?

E lucevan le stelle (When the stars were brightly shining ...)

* sung by Cavaradossi, Tosca’s boyfriend, before he is to be executed

E lucevan le stelle ... When the stars were brightly shining ...

ed olezzava la terra And faint perfumes the air pervaded,

stridea l'uscio dell'orto ... Creaked the gate of the garden ...

ed un passo sfiorava la rena ... And footstep its precincts invaded ...

Entrava ella fragrante, 'Twas hers, the fragrant creature.

mi cadea tra le braccia. In her soft arms she clasped me.

O! dolci baci, o languide carezze, With sweetest kisses, tenderest caresses,

mentr'io fremente le belle forme disciogliea dai veli! A thing of beauty, of matchless symmetry in form and feature!

Svanì per sempre il sogno mio d'amore. My dream of love is now dispelled forever.

L'ora è fuggita, e muoio disperato! I lived uncaring and now I die despairing!

E muoio disperato! Alas I die despairing!

E non ho amato mai tanto la vita, And never was life so dear to me, no never,

tanto la vita! So dear, no never!

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MADAME BUTTERFLY (1904)

Story of a