As the first DJ each year, I feel a little pressure to start the year off with a real crowd pleaser. Well, this year I’ve decided to ignore expectations and give you all a little of something that pleases me: opera music. I know opera isn’t for everybody, so I struggled deciding whether to aim at the non-opera fans with really popular music, or to aim at the serious fans and go with obscure music. Based on the what I know about this club, I went for the former.This is a compilation in two acts. In each act, we start with classic arias, move on to more pop opera arias, and then conclude with some powerful choruses. To make things interesting, I didn’t use the same composer more than once (with one notable exception). And, although it’s not noted on the CD cover, each aria is from a different singer. So put on your best outfit, pour yourself a fine glass of wine, and sit back and enjoy a night at the opera with DJ Pants.
Act I:
1. Puccini / Tosca / E Lucevan Le Stelle
The hardest part of making this album was choosing which Puccini aria to include. With La Boheme, Madame Butterfly, Turandot and Tosca in his repertoire, Puccini can’t be beat. I chose this one because it packs a lot of emotion into just a few minutes… and it’s Placido Domingo, who you might have heard of.
2. Delibes / Lakmé / Viens, Mallika, les lianes en fleurs
Lakmé is not a well-known opera, but this duet is very popular. We’ve got Dame Joan Sutherland singing here. In case there is any doubt, this is a love song. It’s arrestingly beautiful.
3. Bizet / Les Pêcheurs de Perles / Au Fond du Temple Saint
Bizet is better known for Carmen, but I wanted to go for something a little less popular. Don’t get me wrong – this is still an opera favourite. David Byrne did a very nice version of this song a few years ago. This duet involves two fishermen committing their friendship to each other, and not busting each other up over a girl they both used to love.
4. Lalo / Le Roi D’Ys / Puisq’On Ne Peut Fléchir
Classic late 1800’s French opera. It doesn’t carry the weight of a lot of Italian opera, but it’s still awfully nice to listen to.
5. Thomas / Mignon / Elle ne croyait pas dans sa candeur
Ditto.
6. Bellini / Norma / Deh! Non volerli vittime
Norma is a well-known and well-regarded opera, but I still think it is under-appreciated. I listened to Norma a lot while I was working on my PhD. It has several beautiful arias and some great choruses. It’s a brilliant opera, and if I could see one opera at La Scala, it would be this one. This is the finale of the opera, moving from the sublety of Maria Callas’ singing on to a resounding chorus. It’s going to make me cry if I keep writing about it, so I’ll stop.
7. Verdi / Il Trovatore / Vedi! Le fosche notturne spoglie
Verdi is another Italian opera legend. There is a lot to choose from when you’re thinking of Verdi. He has, most notably, written some brilliant choruses. It was hard to choose, but after the drama of the last song I figured we needed something a bit more upbeat. This song reminds me of my father, which likely means we used to have an Il Trovatore record when I was a kid.
8. Gounod / Faust / Deposons les armes
A classic chorus. We saw Faust in Ottawa a few years ago. I didn’t know a lot of the music, but I sure sat up when the chorus started belting this one out.
Act II:
9. Mozart / Die Zauberflöte / Der Hölle Rache
I debated a lot over this one. In addition to Norma, I listened to El Nozze del Figaro (the Marriage of Figaro) a lot while I was writing my PhD dissertation. My wife almost walked down the aisle to Voi Che Sapate, until we decided to go for a Carla Bruni song instead. Anyway, this is Mozart. Apparently he does more than opera. I chose this aria because I think it highlights what non-opera people think of when they think of opera. In retrospect, I kind of wish I had chosen Voi Che Sapate. If you want a replacement, I can email you.
10. Catalini / La Wally / Ebben? Ne andro lontana
Catalini was an Italian composer, and I’m not going to lie to you – he was a bit of a one-hit wonder. But it’s a very nice hit. The character singing this one is about to leave her home forever. You can feel the weight of the situation.
11. Gluck / Orfeo Ed Euridice / Che Farò Senza Euridice?
We’re going back in time and place a bit to Austrian in the 1700’s. Nevertheless, it’s similar to French opera, but with a lovely Austrian musical touch. I kind of wish she would start belting it out in this aria, but that wasn’t really the style at the time.
12. Charpentier / Louise / Depuis le jour
Another beautiful French aria. It’s a little flowery for me, but perhaps that’s what we need before we get to the final choruses.
13. Saint-Saëns / Samson et Dalila / Mon Coeur S’Ouvre À Ta Voix
The brilliant thing about opera is that if you listen well, you really don’t need a translation (unless you have a heart of hard, cold stone). I imagine you might not need me to tell you that she’s starting off with “My heart opens itself to your voice, like the flowers open to the kisses of the dawn!”
14. Offenbach / Les Contes D’Hoffman / Les oiseaux dans la charmill
I suppose the vocal styling of the soprano here might be a bit of a turn-off for some. I’ve just realized that Offenbach composed an operetta called La Belle Hélène. Considering I’m married to a belle Hélène, perhaps I could have found something from that one. But this is a classic.
15. Gilbert & Sullivan / HMS Pinafore / For He Is An Englishman
Although it doesn’t really fit with the rest of this mix, I have to give a nod to Gilbert & Sullivan. After all, Bart Simpson’s last request before dying was to hear the entire score of HMS Pinafore. Sideshow Bob’s rendition of “For He Is An Englishman” was unforgettable.
16. Wagner / Tannhauser / Begluckt darf nun dich, o Heimat, ich schauen
Wagner, as you may know, is rather intense. Tannhauser is more palatable than the Ring Cycle, but you can still get a a sense of the Wagnerian drama in this chorus. Tannhauser was famously a complete disaster when it premiered in Paris in 1861. There were some politics involved, but the performance had to be stopped part way through and Wagner fled France. I love it.
17. Puccini / Turandot / Non piangere Liu… Ah! Per l’ultima volta!
I really tried to have each composer appear only once, but I had to make an exception for Puccini, especially since he composed Turandot. My wife and I saw Turandot at the Budapest Opera House, and it was one of the most memorable nights of my life. The opera house in Budapest is spectacular, and Turandot contains one of the most beautiful arias out there – Nessun Dorma was Luciano Pavarotti’s favourite. Anyway, this selection is the finale of act one, and it is one of the most emotional choruses in opera. I won’t bother with the whole story, but Turandot is a princess and a prince has just declared himself a suitor for her love. Everybody thinks he’s nuts because if he doesn’t answer three riddles he will be beheaded (if you want to know how that turns out go see the opera). The hair stands on the back of my neck every time I hear this chorus. We walked out of the opera house that night and went straight to a nearby café and ordered champagne. We’ve been opera lovers ever since.
