The magnificent world of vocal artistry: a special feature on popular vocal works from opera to art songs.

“Caro nome” from the opera RigolettoGiuseppe Fortunino Francesco Verdi

Verdi “Rigoletto” “Caro nome” Callas

Maki Mori is a Japanese soprano who combines vocal prowess with beauty and performs on the world stage.

With a voice full of clarity, she conveys the rising emotions of Gilda, a heroine who gradually becomes aware of her love.

It’s a piece whose impression changes dramatically depending on the singer, but Mori imparts a sense of freshness and elegance.

I Want to Live in My Dream, from the opera Romeo and JulietCharles François Gounod

Diana Damrau Je Veux Vivre (Roméo et Juliette, Gounod)

With a sweet, bright, and beautiful melody, “Je veux vivre” (“I want to live in a dream”), a piece that joyfully expresses the happiness that has come into one’s life, is a famous aria from the opera Romeo et Juliette by the French composer Charles François Gounod.

The original work is based on the play of the same name by William Shakespeare.

Come Again to Please Me (from the opera “Alcina”)Georg Friedrich Händel

G. F. Händel: Tornami a vagheggiar

The dazzlingly beautiful “Tornami a vagheggiar,” which sings of the feeling of love, is a famous da capo aria from one of the masterworks of opera by the great Baroque composer George Frideric Handel, Alcina.

“O God of Love, Behold” from the opera The Marriage of FigaroWolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Maria Callas – Porgi amor

The aria “Porgi amor” from Mozart’s opera The Marriage of Figaro is a piece enveloped in elegance and noble grace, sung here by Maria Callas, the greatest opera singer of the 20th century whose name is etched in history.

Based on a play written in 1784 by the French playwright Beaumarchais, Mozart composed the work in 1786.

“Hallelujah Chorus” from the oratorio MessiahGeorg Friedrich Händel

Handel: Hallelujah Chorus from the oratorio Messiah

Georg Friedrich Handel, a composer who epitomizes the late Baroque.

His oratorio Messiah remains a masterpiece beloved around the world.

Among its movements, the chorus placed at the end of Part II is nothing short of breathtaking.

Words proclaiming joy surge like waves, and the layers of voices create a soaring elation that seems to reach the heavens.

The work’s divine power is convincing in light of the anecdote that Handel was inspired while composing it.

Since its premiere in April 1742, it has been cherished across eras, and in later years a gospel-style adaptation, Handel’s Messiah: A Soulful Celebration, won a Grammy Award.

It’s the perfect piece when you want your heart to tremble before monumental music.

Daughters of CádizClément Philibert Léo Delibes

sarah brightman les filles de cadiz

A representative song by Clément-Philippe Léo Delibes (1836–1891), a Romantic composer known as the father of French ballet music, is Les Filles de Cadix, set to a poem by Alfred de Musset.

It is a celebrated piece renowned for its dazzling orchestral writing and dramatic vocal lines.

From the opera ‘Andrea Chénier’: ‘La mamma morta’Umberto Giordano

La mamma morta – Renata Scotto

A gifted Italian soprano who, at just 18, won the leading role of Violetta in the opera La Traviata.

In this song, the heroine Maddalena—ruined by the revolution and bereaved of her mother—sings powerfully of her resolve to confront fate and choose to live.