Recorded on June 21, 2022
Lisa Bryce, soprano; Lara Tillotson, mezzo-soprano; Josh LeRose, tenor; Samuel Flores, baritone; Mikhail Parkhomovsky, violinist; Richard Paratley, flutist; and Catherine Miller, piano accompanist
Francine Garber-Cohen, Concert Producer
Czardas - V. Monti
Mikhail Parkhomovsky - violinist
Firenze è come un albero fiorito - Gianni Schicchi - Puccini
Josh LeRose - tenor
After the disinherited Donati family refuses to accept help from the upstart Gianni Schicchi, Rinuccio extols the virtues of Florence: “It is like a flowering tree, its roots carrying new strength from the fertile valleys. Florence sprouts, and palaces and towers rise. The Arno River sweetly sings and a chorus of streamlets descend to it. So too have artists and scientists descended to make Florence more rich and splendid. Welcome Arnolfo, Giotto, and Medici! Enough narrow-minded hatred and spite! Long live the newcomers - and Gianni Schicchi!”
Amour! viens aider ma faiblesse! -
Samson et Dalila - Saint-Saëns
Lara Tillotson - mezzo-soprano
Dalila seeks to destroy Samson, enemy of her people. “Samson, desiring my presence, must come to this place tonight. The hour of vengeance is here! Love, come to aid my weakness! Pour the poison into his bosom! Make Samson be bound in chains! He cannot banish me from his soul. He is my slave! My brethren fear him. I defy him, and restrain him at my knees! His strength is in vain against my love. He will yield to me!”
Valse Sentimentale - Tchaikovsky
Mikhail Parkhomovsky - violinist
Bella siccome un angelo - Don Pasquale - Donizetti
Samuel Flores - baritone
Dr. Malatesta describes the young woman he wants old Don Pasquale to meet. “Beautiful as an angel on earth. Fresh as a lily. Eyes that speak and laugh. Glances that conquer the heart. Hair like ebony. An enchanting smile! A soul, innocent and ingenuous. Incomparable modesty. Goodness that makes one fall in love. Gentle, sweet, will make your heart beat!”
Sicilienne - Fauré
Richard Paratley - flutist
O mio babbino caro - Gianni Schicchi - Puccini
Lisa Bryce - soprano
Lauretta, the daughter of Gianni Schicchi, begs her father to allow her to marry Rinuccio, her sweetheart. She threatens to throw herself off the Ponte Vecchio bridge if he doesn’t agree.
Or vi dirò - La Bohème - Puccini
Samuel Flores - baritone
The musician Schaunard arrives at the Parisian garret he shares with three other Bohemians, laden with firewood, cigars, wine, food, and money. He recounts how he earned the money: an English lord hired him to play until his parrot died. Schaunard played for three days, until he got the bright idea of poisoning the bird. Schaunard orders that the bounty be saved for darker times. It is Christmas Eve, and tonight they will dine in the Latin Quarter.
Ah! che alfine all’empio scherno - Amleto - Faccio
Lara Tillotson - mezzo-soprano
After Prince Hamlet rages against his mother, Queen Gertrude, for having married his murdered father’s brother, she is overcome with guilt: “Ah! that I finally revolt against wicked mockery. Deceit has obliterated the pity of a maternal heart. You feign delirium and fits. I am the guilty one, who has killed my son’s father and taken the throne. I am not a mother!... Come, kill me, I will forgive you. I have profaned the names of Queen and Wife, I know it. Hurry, Hamlet, and give me death; at least I will die as a mother!”
Romanze - Fredric Kroll
Mikhail Parkhomovsky - violinist
Entr’acte - Carmen - Bizet
Richard Paratley - flutist
La donna è mobile - Rigoletto - Verdi
Josh LeRose - tenor
The libertine Duke of Mantua declares his philosophy of love: “Woman is fickle, like a feather in the wind: she changes her voice — and her mind. Always sweet, pretty face, in tears or in laughter, she is always lying. They laugh, they cry, as they please. Men’s hearts are captured, they are deaf to all warnings. He who trusts her is always miserable - yet one who doesn’t love is never happy.”
Un bel dì - Madama Butterfly - Puccini
Lisa Bryce - soprano
Cio-Cio-San’s husband, an American naval officer, has returned to America, and she insists to her doubting maid, Suzuki, that he will return to her. “One lovely day, his ship will come into the harbor, and I will wait for him on the hilltop. He’ll call for me, but I’ll be hiding, a little bit to tease him, a little bit not to die at our first meeting. He’ll call me ‘little wife, verbena blossom,’ as he used to. All this will happen, I promise you. Keep your fear - I, with firm faith, will wait for him!”
La luce langue - Macbeth - Verdi
Lara Tillotson - mezzo-soprano
Lady Macbeth relishes the thought of killing Banquo, Macbeth’s rival for the throne. “The light languishes, the beacon that ever moves through the vast heavens dies out! Night, conceal the hand that will strike the blow. New crime! It is necessary! The fatal deed must be done. The dead do not care to rule; for them, a requiem, eternity! O desirable throne! O sceptre, finally you are mine! Every mortal desire is fulfilled in you. He who was prophesied to be king will soon fall dead.”
Junto al Puente de la Peña - La canción del Olvido - Jose Serrano
Samuel Flores - baritone
Leonello tells the story of his meeting with a beautiful courtesan by the Bridge of the Rock. He is enchanted by her and professes to be in love with her, but she resists him. He follows her to her house and and bribes her duenna. When the courtesan tries to put him off by saying that she is waiting for her suitor, he becomes excited. Conquered, the courtesan agrees to sleep with him, even though she knows that his protestations of love are lies. She asks him if he will return, but he laughs and leaves.
O sole mio - di Capua
Josh LeRose - tenor
What a wonderful thing is a sunny day, the serene air after a thunderstorm! In the fresh air, it feels like a celebration. But another sun, lovelier still – my own sun shines from your face! When night comes and the sun has set, I feel almost melancholy; I’d stay beneath your window.
Vivace from Concerto for Two Violins in D minor - J.S. Bach
Mikhail Parkhomovsky - violinist, Richard Paratley - flutist
Silvio, a quest’ora - I Pagliacci - Leoncavallo
Lisa Bryce - soprano, Samuel Flores - baritone
Nedda, the leading lady of a theater troupe, muses on her husband’s jealousy. She does have a lover – Silvio, a young peasant, who suddenly appears. The two reaffirm their love, and Silvio persuades Nedda to run away with him that night.
Una voce poco fa - The Barber of Seville - Rossini
Lara Tillotson - mezzo-soprano
Rosina recalls the voice of her lover, Lindoro. She is determined to win him, despite the machinations of her jealous guardian. “A voice a while ago echoes here in my heart; already my heart has been pierced, and Lindoro inflicted the wound. Yes, Lindoro will be mine! My guardian will refuse me; I’ll sharpen all my wits and placate him. I will be happy; Lindoro will be mine; I will win. I’m docile, I’m respectful, I’m obedient, gentle, loving; I let myself be ruled and guided. But if they touch my weak spot, I’ll be a viper. I’ll play a hundred tricks before I yield.”