The Top 5 Arias I Have Performed

In my last three years at Wayne State College I have sung a lot of music. From Art songs, to musical theatre, I have gone through a lot of repertoire. By singing through so many pieces, I have learned what not only I love to sing, but what my voice loves to sing: ARIAS. I have found that the dramatism of Italian arias, is for me that most rewarding to sing. I am able to step into a new character and be anyone from a Countess to a poor girl in love. Having the opportunity to step onto a stage and pretend to be someone else and sing my heart out is an indescribable feeling.

There are so many great arias to choose from, but you have to know your voice. As I began singing arias, they started out “easier” and then grew harder. Not all of the arias I have sung, would I sing again. My vocal teacher and I were learning about my voice and how it was growing. As my voice grew and changed we were able to find the arias that best fit my voice. Even some of my favorite ones that I have sung, I maybe wouldn’t sing again, but at the time, I loved them. It was and is a learning process.

Here are my top five arias that I have sung (in no particular order):

1. “O mio babbino caro” from Gianni Schicchi by Giacomo Puccini.

This aria is about a daughter begging her father, in a very dramatic way, to let her marry a boy she has met. The girl tells her father that if he does not let her marry the boy, she will fling herself into the river. It is a very empty threat, as she knows her father will give in. The drama of the piece needs to be built upon by the singer, with support and confidence of knowing where the phrase is going. I first sang this piece my junior year at WSC. It was one of the first pieces that I felt comfortable singing; it holds a special place in my heart for this reason. I also sang this piece for my Junior Recital my senior year at WSC.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dI17VdRfCek&index=6&list=PLXbwAlhOBU2Ahli5UZOd7R8jd2nguJ5yp&t=0s

2. “Senza mamma” from Suor Angelica by Giacomo Puccini

This aria is about Sister Angelica, a woman who was sent to a convent by her family and forced to be a nun, because she had a child out of wedlock. Sister Angelica is visited by her wealthy aunt, who wants her to give up her birth right. At first Sister Angelica refuses, but then her aunt tells her that her son has died. Distraught by the news, Sister Angelica disclaims her birthright, and her aunt leaves. Sister Angelica then has a vision of her son and decides to drink poison. After drinking it, she realizes that she has committed a great sin, begging the Virgin Mary for forgiveness. A miracle then happens and she sees the Virgin Mary with her son, who is running to embrace her. The aria is sung by Sister Angelica in her despair over learning about the death of her son. The song needs to be sung with great emotion to portray the depth of Sister Angelica’s anguish at loosing her son. I sang this piece for my Junior Recital. It was my first big aria, and I remember it took me almost all summer to learn it. This was when my voice really started to grow.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_KrTQmHKzcw&list=PLXbwAlhOBU2Ahli5UZOd7R8jd2nguJ5yp&index=1

3. “Tu che di gel sei cinta” from Turandot by Giacomo Puccini

This aria is about the servant Liu after she has been tortured to give up her friend, Prince Calaf’s name. Liu is in love with the Prince and cannot bear to give it up and see him die. Nor can she bear to live to see him marry the Princess. Liu knows that Princess Turandot will fall in love with the Prince and Liu cannot deal with that; after finishing the aria, she grabs one of the guards daggers and kills herself. The aria needs fiery passion behind it. This piece is a little different in that it is written in a pentatonic scale, giving it more of an eastern feel, after it being set in Japan. I sang this sang my second semester of my senior year at WSC.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jCqT3oQphP4&list=PLXbwAlhOBU2BHe5GmOd3MVGWi8kPobNmh&index=1

4. “Porgi, amor” from Le nozze di Figaro by W.A. Mozart

This aria is performed by the Countess Rosina Almaviva. The Countess is showing her hurt and sorrow over her husband’s unfaithfulness. She is praying to the god of love to assist her. The emotions seem to me to be a mixture of hurt, longing and anger. The Countess is hurt and angry because her husband is being unfaithful, and she is longing for him to love her again. I sang this piece for the first time last semester (this is my 5th year of school), and it was as if a light bulb went off in my voice. I found my placement, breath support and it seemed almost effortless to sing. I will be also singing this aria on my upcoming senior recital.

This recording is me singing "Porgi amor" on the Honors Recital last semester.

5. “Dove sono i bei momenti” from Le nozze di Figaro W.A. Mozart

This aria is about the Countess contemplating over the plot to expose her husband’s infidelity. She has enlisted the help of her maid Susanna and the footman Figaro, which causes her more grief because it is humiliating for her to have enlisted the help of her servants. All the Countess wants is the affections of her husband back. This piece is the longest aria I will have performed. Before the aria starts it has a recitative, which is a speech like singing with little to no accompaniment underneath. It has been hard to learn, but with my voice settled/settling into where it fits, I am finding it is not as big of a piece as when I started. I will be performing this on my upcoming senior recital as well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ucXGftnIxHM&list=PLXbwAlhOBU2CrY1LFHAKMwK3geBp02Kwb&index=7&t=0s

For as long as I can remember I have loved to sing. When I was little I would pretend I was an opera singer, and now here I am, singing arias from operas. Sometimes I get emotional about it all. Thinking about my little girl self, all those years ago, dreaming of singing and here I am getting to do just that. As my voice has matured and grown I have found more confidence in my singing. When I transferred to WSC my junior year of college, I was terrified to get up on a stage and sing, but now it is a nervous energy, like getting onto a roller coaster. But once I start singing and focus on my character, nerves begin to settle and I am able to just sing. Arias, particularly, are my favorite to sing, because of the character development and the connection I get to make between the music and the character.

“Inspiration is an awakening, a quickening of all man’s faculties, and it is manifested in all high artistic achievements.” Giacomo Puccini

For anyone interested or working on singing Italian Arias, don’t give up. I would have NEVER thought I would be able to do this, but that is what hard work and determination get you to do. Keep studying and practicing, figuring out what music best fits your voice. If it is something you really want you will get there. Just keep singing!