Radio KAOM: Kathleen Battle singing "Della crudele Isotta"

 One of the world's greatest sopranos

Kathleen Battle

"Della crudele Isotta" 

from Gaetano Donizetti's opera, 

L'elisir d'amore

With
Luciano Pavarotti 

Metropolitan Opera 1991

YouTube Direct Link: https://youtu.be/R3tpQ9q2YOA

MUSIC: "L'amour est un oiseau rebelle" performed by Elina Garanca

Ruggedly Raw

Sultry Sensual

Provocatively Powerful

One of my favorite mezzo-sopranos

Elina Garanca

performing

"L'amour est un oiseau rebelle"

from

Georges Bizet's opera, Carmen

Conductor: Yannick Nézet-Séguin

Production: Richard Eyre

The Metropolitan Opera, 2010

YouTube Direct Link: https://youtu.be/K2snTkaD64U

MUSIC: Mozart's "Ach, ich fühl's" performed by Kathleen Battle

Gloriously Gorgeous

Kathleen Battle

"Ach, ich fühl's"

from 

Mozart's The Magic Flute (Act 2)

Metropolitan Opera Orchestra

conducted by

James Levine

YouTube Direct Link: https://youtu.be/PVa9F_CO65k

MUSIC: "Vissi d'arte" performed by Angela Gheorghiu

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

I sigh each time I hear this beautiful aria

This performance is divine

When I hear it, now having seen CMBYN,

I think this must be the sound of

Elio's spirit expressing his feelings for Oliver

A little background for this aria:

Tosca and the painter, Cavaradossi, are lovers

Cesare Angelotti is an escaped political prisoner

The police are after Angelotti

Cavaradossi has helped hide him

The Chief-of-Police Baron Scarpia has Cavaradossi arrested

They torture him and prepare to execute him

Baron Scarpia tells Tosca

Give yourself to me and I'll free Cavaradossi

Tosca sings this aria as a prayer to God

Asking why God has abandoned her in her hour of need

Lyrics in English:

I lived for art, I lived for love,

I never harmed a living soul!

With a discreet hand

I relieved all misfortunes I encountered.

Always with sincere faith

my prayer

rose to the holy tabernacles.

Always with sincere faith

I decorated the altars with flowers.

In this hour of grief,

why, why, Lord,

why do you reward me thus?

I donated jewels to the Madonna's mantle,

and offered songs to the stars and to heaven,

which thus did shine with more beauty.

In this hour of grief,

why, why, Lord,

ah, why do you reward me thus?

Angela Gheorghiu

"Vissi d'arte" 

from Puccini's opera, Tosca

YouTube Direct Link: https://youtu.be/gnqa94oeGfw

MUSIC: Kathleen Battle sings "Voices of Spring" by Johann Strauss II

The Glorious Joy of Spring!!!!

Let us celebrate

The arrival of SPRING

With my favorite soprano

Most of you will know this piece

Even if you don't particularly like this type of Music

Listen just to hear the amazing vocal gymnastics

Kathleen is truly amazing

Kathleen Battle

The Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra

conducted by

Herbert von Karajan

performing

"Frühlingsstimmen"

(Voices of Spring)

by

Johann Strauss II

YouTube Direct Link: https://youtu.be/TF0XSkb7TyM

MUSIC: Morricone's "Once Upon a Time in the West" performed by Patricia Janeckova

BRAVO!

An Angelic Voice

A most beautiful performance

I just sat transfixed as she sang this song

I wish the camera had stayed on her the entire time

But it didn't take away from her beautiful singing

Patricia Janeckova

performing

Ennio Morricone's

"Once Upon a Time in the West"

   

YouTube Direct Link: https://youtu.be/kOy6M_X2MO8

MUSIC: Anna Netrebko performs Puccini's "Quando m'en vo' soletta"

Beautiful!!!

"Quando m'en vo' ", also known as "Musetta's Waltz", is a soprano aria, a waltz in act two of Puccini's opera La bohème. It is sung by Musetta, in the presence of her bohemian friends, hoping to reclaim the attention of her occasional boyfriend Marcello." (Wikipedia)

Lyrics in English:

When I walk

When I walk all alone in the street,

people stop and stare at me

and look for my whole beauty

from head to feet ...

And then I taste the slight yearning

which transpires from their eyes

and which is able to perceive from manifest charms

to most hidden beauties.

So the scent of desire is all around me,

it makes me happy!

And you, while knowing, reminding and longing,

you shrink from me? 

I know it very well:

you don't want to express your anguish,

but you feel as if you're dying!

~*~

Anna Netrebko

sings

"Quando m'en vo' soletta"

from

Puccini's La Bohème 

Yuri Temirkanov

conducting

The St. Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra

Recorded at the St. Petersburg Philharmonic Hall in 2003 

YouTube Direct Link: https://youtu.be/IDvE8uKWznc

MUSIC: Damrau sings Mozart's Queen of the Night Aria

FANTASTIC! AMAZING! INCREDIBLE!!!!!

Damrau Owns This Role!

Even if you think you don't like classical music,

Or opera for that matter,

You need to listen to this

Just to enjoy and be amazed

At this incredible vocal gymnastics performance

3 Minutes of Olympic Gold!!!

This scene depicts a fit of vengeful rage 

in which the Queen of the Night 

places a knife into the hand of her daughter, Pamina,

and exhorts her to assassinate Sarastro, the Queen's rival, 

or else she will disown and curse Pamina.

Mozart

"Der Hölle Rache kocht in meinem Herzen"

("Hell's vengeance boils in my heart")

(The Queen of the Night Aria)

from the opera, The Magic Flute

performed by

Diana Damrau 

Riccardo Muti

conducting

The Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra

Salzburg Festival, 2006

YouTube Direct Link: https://youtu.be/SlN4p-QXU20

MUSIC: ARETHA FRANKLIN (1942-2018) sings "Nessun dorma"

Aretha Louise Franklin

March 25, 1942 – August 16, 2018

The Queen of Soul

Has passed from this earthly stage

We are all blessed

To have heard her voice

She will live forever in our hearts

And in the hearts of all who hear her

This is the performance

That I have often posted

As my Christmas gift to you

It is appropriate to stop

And listen to this most glorious voice

Perform this most glorious music

Every time I hear this I get goosebumps and chills

It is very moving

Pavarotti was suppose to perform at these Grammys

But could not make it due to illness

In a last minute switch, 

Aretha agreed to go on and perform his song in his place 

Aretha Franklin 

"Nessun dorma"

from the 1998 Grammys

YouTube Direct Link: https://youtu.be/HqECvv7ecPk

Note: The music begins at the 40 second mark

MUSIC: "Casta diva" performed by Angela Gheorghiu

Exquisitely Beautiful

Angela Gheorghiu

performs

"Casta diva"

(Act 1 Scene 4: No. 4b)

from

Vincenzo Bellini's opera, Norma

Evelino Pidò

conducting

The London Symphony Orchestra

YouTube Direct Link: https://youtu.be/Dci7NrV86Os

MUSIC: Edita Gruberova sings "Caro nome" from Rigoletto

Exquisitely Divine

What an amazingly beautiful performance

The voice of an angel

Edita Gruberova as Gilda

performing

"Caro nome"

from

Guiseppe Verdi's opera, Rigoletto

Opera film directed by Jean-Pierre Ponnelle (1983)

YouTube Direct Link: https://youtu.be/CnabxcCq088

MUSIC: Kathleen Battle sings "Voices of Spring" by Johann Strauss II

One of the Greatest Voices in Human History

This piece is extraordinarily difficult

And yet, Kathleen makes it sound so effortless

We are so fortunate to be alive

To hear such an exquisite, glorious voice

She has clearly been touched by the Divine

Kathleen Battle

performing the waltz

"Frühlingsstimmen"

("Voices of Spring") 

by 

Johann Strauss II

conducted by 

Herbert von Karajan

YouTube Direct Link: https://youtu.be/TF0XSkb7TyM

MUSIC: Offenbach's "Barcarolle" performed by Anna Netrebko & Elina Garanca

Soothingly Beautiful

A Gorgeous Blend of Two Exquisite Voices

Elina is on the left and Anna is on her Right

Anna Netrebko & Elina Garanca

performing

"Barcarolle" 

by

Jacques Offenbach

YouTube Direct Link: https://youtu.be/Hdc2zNgJIpY

MUSIC: The Gypsy Dance from Bizet's Carmen with Elina Garanca

Tra-la-la-licious!!!!

One of my favorite mezzo-sopranos

I love how this music builds and builds into a sensual frenzy

                             

Elina Garanca

performs

"Les tringles des sistres tintaient"

(The Gypsy Dance)

from

Georges Bizet's opera, Carmen

Conductor: Yannick Nézet-Séguin

Production: Richard Eyre

The Metropolitan Opera, 2010

YouTube Direct Link: https://youtu.be/Q5h_7ywjPPQ

MUSIC: Kathleen Battle & Wynton Marsalis performing "Let the Bright Seraphim"

WOW PERFECTION WOW

STRONGLY RECOMMENDED

I hope you don't miss this one

Thanks to a Friend of AOM for sending this to us

The perfect duet for this glorious music

"Joyous. For once the trumpet is given its due and we hear a duet, as intended. Both musicians are superb, No problems of balance here for me, it's not supposed to be a contest! The brightness of Marsalis is beautifully matched by Battle's ringing, focused tone." (YouTube Comment)

"The most beautiful musical collaboration of all times. I never get tired of listening to this. Wynton is superb and Kathleen's voice is literally heavenly." (YouTube Comment)

~*~

Kathleen Battle & Wynton Marsalis

"Let the Bright Seraphim" from "Samson"

by 

George Frideric Händel

YouTube Direct Link:  https://youtu.be/SUOTq_xGWpE

MUSIC: "Lovers" sung by Kathleen Battle

GORGEOUS!!!

House Of Flying Daggers is one of the most artistically beautiful films I've seen. Engaging Story, Brilliant Acting, Beautiful Music and the Cinematography is Gloriously Gorgeous, Artistic, and Truly Special. I highly recommend watching this film. If you decide to watch, I suggest watching it in English first to get the story, then watch it again in Chinese to get the true voices of the actors. 

~*~

The Great

Kathleen Battle 

sings

"Lovers"

Composed by

Shigeru Umebayashi 

YouTube Direct Link: https://youtu.be/HvRKkIlyaXc

~*~

LYRICS:

There was a field in my old town 

Where we always played hand in hand 

The wind was gently touching the grass 

We were so young so fearless 

Then I dreamt over and over of 

You holding me tight under the stars 

I made a promise to my dear Lord 

I will love you forever 

Time has passed so much has changed 

But the field remains in my heart 

Oh where are you? 

I need to tell you, I still love you 

So I reach out for you 

And you fly around me like a butterfly 

Your voice still echoes in my heart 

You are my true love 

There was a field in my old town 

Where in spring all flowers blossomed wide

We were chasing butterflies 

Hand in hand till close of day 

Your voice still echoes in my heart

MUSIC: Kathleen Battle sings "Ach, ich fühl's" from Mozart's 'The Magic Flute'

EXQUISITE BEAUTY!

Parmina's (Kathleen Battle) heart is broken when her boyfriend, Tamino, refuses to speak to her, not knowing that he has taken a vow of silence in order to pass a test to win her love. When she approaches him and he apparently ignores her, she sings that she feels as if her life is over.

Ah, I feel it, it has disappeared

Forever gone love¹s  happiness!

Nevermore will come the hour of bliss

Back to my heart!

See, Tamino, these tears,

Flowing, beloved,  for you alone!

If you don't feel the longing of love

Then there will be peace in death!

~*~

Mozart

"Ach, ich fühl's" 

from

The Magic Flute

performed by

Kathleen Battle

James Levine

conducting

The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra