Thursday, October 16, 2008

When I am laid in earth

This absolutely gorgeous aria, Dido's Lament, sung by the amazing
Jessye Norman, is by the English Baroque composer, Henry Purcell
from his opera Dido and Æneas. It is a very fitting piece to share this
week with all the current seasonal posts on beautiful cemeteries and
thoughts of mortality.

34 comments:

  1. I love that opera (and Jesse Norman).
    Thanks for the treat.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Oh!Oh!Oh!Oh! THIS is ABSOLUTELY one of my VERY FAVORITES! I have sung this aria in several competitions as well as recitals and it is considered one of my best. In addition, I've sung the role of the Scorceress, who is the villian in "Dido & Aeneas".
    Thanks for posting this. Ahhhh...I'm in heaven...

    ReplyDelete
  3. Lynette, you are very welcome! My daughter and I were just chatting about this aria on the phone today and I HAD to post it!! :^)

    ReplyDelete
  4. So beautiful! Jesse Norman is from Augusta and I was buying make-up at the same time she was. She has a very definite presence. Very elegant. She still has family there and visits. Our ampitheatre is named after her.

    ReplyDelete
  5. FABULOUS aria, performer and a fave composer of mine.

    ReplyDelete
  6. "When I am laid, am laid..." ;^}

    ReplyDelete
  7. I will have to wait until later to watch this but I know it must be fantastic (no youtube at work).

    The only cemetary I've visited in recent weeks is the pet cemetary at the Presidio. It was touching to see the headstones of beloved pets, from goldfish to parakeets and all animals in between.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Now, why can't I see like this???

    ReplyDelete
  9. Nice opera Lady Willow !
    But I don't like this sort of "song"...

    ReplyDelete
  10. Hearing the rich, mellow, and expressive voice of Jessye Norman always gives me goosebumps (so I perused your ghost tales again as I listened). She has to be one of the best singers of all time. In my fantasy life, in which I'm a successful opera singer, I waffle between having the voice of either Jessye Norman or Cecilia Bartoli. In real life I can't carry a tune.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Adrianne,

    As a singer, if I were going to waffle between Norman & Bartoli, I would land squarely on Norman. No contest. ;-)

    I have a recording of Norman singing Poulenc's "Les Chemins de l'amour" that is to DIE for. Never heard a voice like that before in my life and probably will never again.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Thanks for sharing, it has been that kind of a day for this kinda music. I wish my daughter and I would chat on the phone about such music...nothing in common, especially music...such is ones chosen path.

    ReplyDelete
  13. OMG! I just listened to Norman's "Les Chemins de l'amour" on YouTube and you are right! I need to find myself a copy...right now!!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Okay, I just bought myself a pre-owned copy of her "Les Chemins de l'amour" album online. Thanks, Lynette for inspiring me to spend money. (it isn't too hard) :):):)

    ReplyDelete
  15. I used to sing this when I had singing lessons some time ago. It's utterly beautiful.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Sheer emotional impact...that's what opera is for me. Absolutely beautiful.

    ReplyDelete
  17. This used to be one of my "party" pieces when I sang. So dramatic and moving in its utter simplicity. Wonderful aria, wonderful voice. Thanks, Willow.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Jessye Norman sings this aria with such feeling it makes me want to sob. And the video is beautifully filmed. The colors and costume are wonderful. I loved seeing this. Thanks for thinking of it.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Hey, I'm there when it comes to recommending great music! That's what my "World's Most Beautiful Music" series of posts on my blog is all about. I LOVE finding beautiful music to share with people!

    I sang Les Chemins on my master's recital. Absolutely fell in love with it then and it has been one of my favorites since. But the Norman recording of it has to be one of the best!

    I'm glad you bought it for yourself!

    ReplyDelete
  20. Oh thank you for posting that! It's such a rare treat to be able to enjoy a thing of real beauty during the course of a hectic day.

    My favorite from Dido and Aeneas was always "Fear No Danger to Ensue." here's a link on rhapsody:
    http://mp3.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=tra.20710313

    ReplyDelete
  21. I don't often chat casually about Opera, so I won't start today. Pappy

    ReplyDelete
  22. You've been tagged! Drop over to see your challenge. :)

    ReplyDelete
  23. Hey, Blicky, thanks for the link! It is such a happy piece. We all need to hear it to calm our national worries! ;^)

    ReplyDelete
  24. i just could not get his video to load for me for some reason.. i had to stop it because it kept ruining the mood of the aria to have it stall out :)
    but i wanted to say hi and let you know you have great links to many interesting blogs. i went to Word Of The day! and had fun :)

    ReplyDelete
  25. Lovely! I enjoyed this very much -

    I also enjoyed your postcard! It arrived today. What a perfect mailbox for hand delivered love letters written on velum with a touch of violet scent.
    But the little snakes...do they read your mail?

    ReplyDelete
  26. Willow many thanks for that, also may I thank Lynette. I have just had a wonderful musical morning with you both, and feel incredible for it.....

    ReplyDelete
  27. Although not an opera lover, I do like my arias, oh, yes. My Dad made sure I was schooled in them by putting on a radio programme we had in Cuba (and I think we still have) every Sunday afternoon after lunch where they played arias from famous operas (sometime the whole opera), zarzuelas (a traditional Spanish opera) and operetas (traditional Spanish, too).

    I love this performance and I remember watching Jesse on BBC4 a few years back. Knocked me off my feet.

    Greetings from London.

    ReplyDelete
  28. Wow. That is so beautiful! Thank you for starting my day with such gorgeousness.

    Yeah, mortality, yes. Don't know about you, but the older I get, the easier it is to understand that at some point it'll be time for me to step aside and make room for everyone else.

    I've witnessed enough natural deaths (not because of car wrecks or gunshots, I mean) to believe that death is nothing to be afraid of. There is always such a palpable feeling of relief in the room when someone finally passes.

    That said, this is such a precious existence. Thanks for reminding me of all this, Willow. You are a class act.

    ReplyDelete
  29. Thi is so hauntingly beautiful!

    ReplyDelete
  30. I've never found a snake in my mailbox but I was excited to find your postcard yesterday. Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  31. Hello!
    I just wanted to drop by and say *thank you * for the beautiful postcard I received from you for steviewren's exchange. What a charming little mailbox! Do snakes really live there? I wish I had such a pretty mailbox--minus the snakes:)

    ReplyDelete
  32. Beautiful operatic piece. More please.

    ReplyDelete
  33. Willow, This has been so beautiful. I am also fascinated by the costume and her magnificent face. Thank you
    Mary Ann

    ReplyDelete

Inject a few raisins of conversation into the tasteless dough of existence.
― O. Henry (and me)