Giuseppe Verdi is a master of musical drama. The tragedy is inherent in his operas: they have fatal love or a love triangle, a curse and revenge, moral choice and betrayal, bright feelings and almost indispensable death of one or even several heroes in the final.
The composer adhered to the tradition established in the Italian opera - to rely in an operatic action on a singing voice. Often, operatic parts were created specifically for specific performers, and then they began to live their own lives, going beyond theatrical framework. Such are the many arias from Verdi’s operas, which are included in the repertoire of prominent singers as independent musical numbers. Here are some of them.
"Ritorna vincitor!" ("Come back with victory to us ...") - Aida's aria from the opera "Aida"
When Verdi was offered to write an opera for the opening of the Suez Canal, he first refused, but then changed his mind, and literally in a few months Aida appeared - a sad tale about the love of Egyptian commander Radamés and slave Aida, the daughter of the king hostile to Egypt Ethiopia.
Love is hindered by a war between states and the machinations of the daughter of the Egyptian king Amneris, who is also in love with Radames. The final of the opera is tragic - beloved die together.
The aria "Come back with victory to us ..." sounds at the end of the 1st scene of the first act. Pharaoh appoints Radames commander of the army, Amneris encourages him to return with a victory. Aida is in turmoil: her lover is going to fight against her father, and both are equally dear to her. She appeals to the gods with the prayer to deliver her from these torments.
"Stride la vampa!" ("The Flame Burns") - song Azucheny from the opera "The Troubadour"
"Troubadour" - a tribute to the composer romantic trends. The opera is distinguished by an intricate storyline with a mystical touch: with a thirst for revenge, the substitution of babies, fights, executions, death from poison and violent passions. Graf di Luna and the troubadour Manrico, brought up by the gypsy Azuchena, turn out to be brothers and rivals in love for the beautiful Leonore.
The song Azucheny from the 1st scene of the second act can also be attributed to the arias from Verdi’s operas. Gypsy camp near the fire. Looking at the fire, the gypsy remembers how her mother was burned at the stake.
"Addio, del passato" ("Sorry, forever ...") - Violetta's aria from the opera "La Traviata"
The plot of the opera is based on the play “The Lady of Camellias” by A. Dumas-son. Alfred Germont’s relationship with the courtesan Violetta is interfered by the boy’s father, demanding that he break the vicious bond. For the sake of his beloved sister, Violetta agrees to break with him. She assures Alfred that she fell in love with another, for which the young man cruelly insults her.
One of the most heartfelt arias from Verdi’s operas is Violetta’s aria from the third act of the opera. The terminally ill heroine dies in a Paris apartment. After reading the letter from Germon Sr., the girl finds out that Alfred has learned the truth and is going to her. But Violetta realizes that she has only a few hours left to live.
"Pace, pace, mio Dio!" ("Peace, Peace, O God ...") - Leonora's aria from the opera "The Power of Fate"
The opera was written by the composer for the Mariinsky Theater, and its premiere was held in Russia.
Alvaro accidentally kills his beloved father - Leonora, her brother Carlos vows to take revenge on both. Complex storylines reduce Alvaro and Carlos, who for the time being do not know how their destinies are connected, and the girl settles a recluse in a cave near the monastery, in which her beloved becomes a novice.
Aria sounds in the 2nd scene of the fourth action. Carlos finds Alvaro in the monastery. While the men are fighting with swords, Leonora in her hut remembers her lover and prays to God to send her peace.
Of course, the arias from Verdi’s operas are performed not only by heroines, but also by heroes. Everyone knows, for example, the song of the Duke of Mantua from "Rigoletto", but remember another wonderful aria from this opera.
"Cortigiani, vil razza" ("Courtesans, the wickedness of vice ...") - Rigoletto's aria from the opera "Rigoletto"
The opera was created on the basis of the drama V. Hugo "King Amusing". Still in the process of working on an opera, censorship for fear of political allusions made Verdi change the libretto. So the king became the duke, and the action was transferred to Italy.
The Duke, a famous hangar, makes Gilda fall in love with herself, the jester's beloved daughter, the hunchback Rigoletto, for which the jester swears revenge on her master. Despite the fact that the girl is convinced of the frivolity of her beloved, she saves him from father's revenge at the cost of her life.
Aria sounds in the third (or second, depending on the setting) action. The courtiers stole Gilda from the house and took him to the palace. The duke and the jester are looking for her. First, the duke finds out that she is in the castle, and then Rigoletto learns. The hunchback vainly implores the courtiers to return his daughter to him.
"Ella giammai m'amò!" ("No, she did not love me ...") - King Philip's aria from the opera Don Carlos
The libretto of the opera is based on the eponymous drama by JF Schiller. The love line (King Philip - his son Don Carlos, who is in love with her stepmother - Queen Elizabeth) intersects with the political - the struggle for the liberation of Flanders.
Philip's big aria begins the third act of the opera. King in thought in his chambers. It hurts him to admit to himself that his wife’s heart is closed to him and that he is lonely.
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