Just imagine the young Orson Welles asking Bernard Herrmann to write a fictional opera aria for soprano that is ridiculous for an amateur to sing - that’s the assignment. Years later, professional sopranos try it for real and audiences just love it!
The great thing about this song is that it was written in such a way as to purposefully put stress on the singer. To force the singer to sing at the lowest and highest registers while holding notes for long periods of time. One untrained in professional opera singing could easily fall into a faint.
@Thomas Burr. I can imagine! that's exactly what the aria meant in the movie (Citizen Kane). The way Kane is forcing his mistress (an operasinger) to 'get famous'. Something she can't live up to.
Not only that. Welles wanted a romantic era opera with an opening aria by the lead soprano. Herrmann said there wasn't any, but he'd write one. He wrote it above Dorothy Comongore's range, so you'd have this colossal scene of the curtain going up on her drowning in the music in the dark.
I just love that the original intent of this piece was for the not so great opera singer to give the impression that she is floundering in quicksand: but When the area is performed as it should be by great singers such as this, it definitely turns what is a clambake into a cult masterpiece!
Does anyone think that said that said Opera Singer looks like Blanche Deveraux from the Golden Girls in this look? None the less Superb Singing. Absolutely Glorious!
Bernard Herrmann is buresquing the operas of Jules Massinet.Herman Mankewitz, the screen writer told stories about Thais at the Chicago Opera.Esclarmonde by Massinet is an opera in the same vein as this aria,rarely performed because of the demands made on the soprano
I really love this! I remember watching it on British TV at the time. I had the privelige of serin Kiri twice in her latter years, where she sang Pace pace from La Forza Di Destino at 68 which was so fantastic, where you could see how the voice had grown. The rest of the programme was similarly aspirational!
Ah, cruel. Tu m’as trop entendue. Les Dieux m’en sont témoins. Ces Dieux qui dans mon flanc Ont allumé le feu fatal A tout mon sang. J’ai langui. J’ai mouri dans les larmes. J’ai séché. J’ai désespéré dans les feux de tes charmes. O quelle angoisse tes yeux Ont donné à toute mon âme. Ah, cruel! Dîtes-moi comment que j’éxpie Ce peché si fort. Toujours remplie, Je ne peux pas résister encore. O Dieux, arrachez-moi! Ce feu fatal Allume ma mort! Voilà mon coeur! Voilà mon coeur! C’est là que ta main doit frapper. Voilà mon coeur! Frappe! Prête-moi ton épée! Frappe!
Whenever I hear Kiri's beautiful voice ringing true to this aria, I just think, how would that have changed the movie? Women in charge? We could do a lot worse.
Oh yes. But the whole point in the film sequence is that it’s supposed to show that Susan, while possessing a decent voice… Is not a great opera singer :-) But Kiri is an amazing vocalist!!!!
@@JohnDonovanProductions I believe that my thought at the time was that if Susan had have nailed the upper range, the movie would have showed what women can achieve beyond expectations (unfortunately, this was still the 1940's). If she had have become a successful opera singer, can you imagine what that would have done to the plotline?
He instead spent 7 years 'perfecting' his opera Wuthering Heights to the tune of 3 and half hour work that never got played because conductors insisted on cuts which Herrmann staunchly did not allow.
I enjoyed this without the High D. I'm not sure I've heard a High D which didn't just hurt my ear drums anyway! Quite often it's just a high screech - who likes hearing that?
!["Walking Distance" [Bernard Herrmann]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/oH2gbhJl-CY/mqdefault.jpg)
![[MV] A leap of faith...ความเชื่อใจครั้งสุดท้าย (From "Petrichor the series")](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/U1piZH2CNXA/mqdefault.jpg)
Just imagine the young Orson Welles asking Bernard Herrmann to write a fictional opera aria for soprano that is ridiculous for an amateur to sing - that’s the assignment. Years later, professional sopranos try it for real and audiences just love it!
The best aria from the opera that never existed...
The greatest soprano singing the greatest aria from the greatest film of all time.
Nobody has ever, nor will they ever, top THIS performance!!!! (I was there.)
The great thing about this song is that it was written in such a way as to purposefully put stress on the singer. To force the singer to sing at the lowest and highest registers while holding notes for long periods of time. One untrained in professional opera singing could easily fall into a faint.
@Thomas Burr. I can imagine! that's exactly what the aria meant in the movie (Citizen Kane). The way Kane is forcing his mistress (an operasinger) to 'get famous'. Something she can't live up to.
...faint...as the character Susan Alexander almost does in the movie!
Not only that. Welles wanted a romantic era opera with an opening aria by the lead soprano. Herrmann said there wasn't any, but he'd write one. He wrote it above Dorothy Comongore's range, so you'd have this colossal scene of the curtain going up on her drowning in the music in the dark.
I just love that the original intent of this piece was for the not so great opera singer to give the impression that she is floundering in quicksand: but When the area is performed as it should be by great singers such as this, it definitely turns what is a clambake into a cult masterpiece!
Does anyone think that said that said Opera Singer looks like Blanche Deveraux from the Golden Girls in this look? None the less Superb Singing. Absolutely Glorious!
Bernard Herrmann is buresquing the operas of Jules Massinet.Herman Mankewitz, the screen writer told stories about Thais at the Chicago Opera.Esclarmonde by Massinet is an opera in the same vein as this aria,rarely performed because of the demands made on the soprano
Yes, but once you hear Esclarmonde, all else pales! The Sutherland recording is ASTOUNDING.
Who care if it’s high D or Db, it’s gorgeous!
Beautiful Kiri
I really love this! I remember watching it on British TV at the time. I had the privelige of serin Kiri twice in her latter years, where she sang Pace pace from La Forza Di Destino at 68 which was so fantastic, where you could see how the voice had grown. The rest of the programme was similarly aspirational!
She really is a great soprano.
Ah, cruel.
Tu m’as trop entendue.
Les Dieux m’en sont témoins.
Ces Dieux qui dans mon flanc
Ont allumé le feu fatal
A tout mon sang.
J’ai langui.
J’ai mouri dans les larmes.
J’ai séché.
J’ai désespéré dans les feux de tes charmes.
O quelle angoisse tes yeux
Ont donné à toute mon âme.
Ah, cruel!
Dîtes-moi comment que j’éxpie
Ce peché si fort.
Toujours remplie,
Je ne peux pas résister encore.
O Dieux, arrachez-moi!
Ce feu fatal
Allume ma mort!
Voilà mon coeur!
Voilà mon coeur!
C’est là que ta main doit frapper.
Voilà mon coeur! Frappe!
Prête-moi ton épée! Frappe!
Merci !
Amen!
Brava ❤
Whenever I hear Kiri's beautiful voice ringing true to this aria, I just think, how would that have changed the movie? Women in charge? We could do a lot worse.
Oh yes. But the whole point in the film sequence is that it’s supposed to show that Susan, while possessing a decent voice… Is not a great opera singer :-)
But Kiri is an amazing vocalist!!!!
@@JohnDonovanProductions I believe that my thought at the time was that if Susan had have nailed the upper range, the movie would have showed what women can achieve beyond expectations (unfortunately, this was still the 1940's). If she had have become a successful opera singer, can you imagine what that would have done to the plotline?
ES UNA REINA DE LA OPERA.
Pity a whole opera inspired by Flaubert's Salambo was never actually composed by the great Bernard Herrmann!
He instead spent 7 years 'perfecting' his opera Wuthering Heights to the tune of 3 and half hour work that never got played because conductors insisted on cuts which Herrmann staunchly did not allow.
@@boneeatingsilicate580 And yet Wagner’s Ring cycle goes on for 4 days!
I enjoyed this without the High D. I'm not sure I've heard a High D which didn't just hurt my ear drums anyway! Quite often it's just a high screech - who likes hearing that?
No darling; transposed at least half a tone down.
She cheated. It should be a D not a Db. Compare with Rosamund Illing's version.
+nohaylamujer Shut the f*** up. YOU sing it better!
she cheated
+nohaylamujer What an ignorant comment.
however much you insult me, the fact remains she cheated.
she sang the aria very beautifully. but the end note should be a D , that`s right :)