Ah! si ben mio.. Di quella pira. (HIGH C) Ария Манрико и Стретта из оперы Джузеппе Верди Трубадур.

Fedor Anikeev voice
Vsevolod Sokol Matsuk piano.
Федор Аникеев исполняет арию Манрико из оперы Джузеппе Верди Трубадур на концерте по случаю юбилея Народного артиста России, баритона, солиста Большого Театра, мастера по постановке певческого голоса, Михаила Григорьевича Киселева.
Стретта Манрико из оперы Джузеппе Верди "Трубадур". Манрико - тот самый трубадур, покоривший сердце фрейлины Леоноры, которую добивается и граф ди Луна, враг и соперник Манрико. Но в центре сюжета не только любовный треугольник, но и месть цыганки Азучены, мать которой сожгли на костре по приказу старого графа, отца ди Луны. В отместку давным-давно она выкрала младенца графа и бросила ребёнка в костёр, но вот только в приступе безумия спутала сына графа и своего. Так она вырастила Манрико, брата графа ди Луна, как своего сына. Во время боевых действий между войсками Манрико и Ди Луны солдаты второго схватили Азучену и уже заготовили костёр, чтобы сжечь её, как ведьму. Новости долетают до Манрико, который готовится заключить с Леонорой брак. Образ костра разжигает в нём ярость и гнев, в своей героической кабалетте он клянётся спасти мать или погибнуть вместе с ней.
Перевод:
Жуткое пламя того кострища
всё во мне разожгло, распалило!
Скорее тушите его, нечестивцы,
иль вашей же кровью его затоплю!
Я стал её сыном прежде, чем полюбил тебя,
твои страдания сдержать меня не в силах…
Несчастная мать, тебя стремглав спасу,
или же смерть с тобою вместе разделю!
Aria Synopsis:
Luna attacks the fortress of Manrico. Manrico defends it as leader. Manrico swears eternal faith to Leonora to the death. Manrico has every reason to be in a furor: his mother Azucena has been captured by the Conte di Luna and taken hostage. Luna threatens her with death at the stake. Manrico wants to free Azucena and says goodbye to Leonora.
Ah si ben mio is Manrico’s only extensive aria in the Il Trovatore. The aria begins with Verdi’s instruction “cantabile con espressione”. Manrico sings about his happiness of the imminent marriage (Ah! yes, mine, to be I yours, you my spouse). But the mood is sad and the music is written in minor. With “Ma pur se nella pagina” (But even if in the page De ‘my destinies is written) it is clear that the marriage happens under unhappy circumstances. Verdi writes “con dolore” in the score. However, the passage must be sung more with the grief of a painful realization than with an acute pain of resignation. The end of the aria is written in a comforting major key.
This aria is a love song impregnated with the presentiment of death. So the passage “Ch’io resti fra le vittime, dal ferro ostil trafitto” (That I remain among the victims, From the pierced hostile iron) in the second part of the verse must be sung with a painful piano and diminuendo. The dramatic closing verse “E solo in ciel precederti, la morte a me parrà! (And only in heaven it precedes you Death will seem to me!) gets a special meaning with a trill on the word “parrà”.
Ah! si ben mio lyrics:
Ah! yes, my goodness, by being
I yours, you my consort,
I shall have a more intrepid soul,
My arm will be stronger;
But even if on the page
Of my destiny is written
That I remain among the victims
By hostile iron pierced,
Among those extreme longings
To you the thought will come
And only in heaven preceding you
Death will seem to me!
DI QUELLA PIRA
This aria is a touchstone for tenors. The music is rousing: it begins in Allegro and is then enhanced five times with musical effects. First the tenor has to increase the volume (Verdi writes “con tutta forza” in “Col sangue vostro”), in the middle the tempo is increased (“piu vivo” in “morir”), next the choir enters, then the tenor joins in and at the end the tenor sings the highest note. This dramaturgy triggers an ecstatic effect on the listener.
The second characteristic feature of the aria is the famous high C at the end. Interestingly, Verdi did not compose a high C at this place. However, one of the first tenors of this opera explicitly asked Verdi for permission. Verdi expressly permitted this, provided that the C was sung beautifully. So this convention has prevailed and most listeners know the aria exactly this way, so following the original score would cause irritation, if not disappointment, among the audience.
Lyrics
Of that dark scaffold, those flames ascending,
Thrill thro' each fibre with madd'ning glow!
Quench them, ye monsters vile or, still offending,
To stay their fury, your blood shall flow!
I was her offspring, ere love I gave thee,
In vain, to hold me, thy griefs would try.
Mother unhappy! I fly to save thee,
Or, all else failing, with thee to die!