Si puo signore signori!

Opera details:

Opera title:	Pagliacci
Composer:	Ruggero Leoncavallo
Language:	Italian
Synopsis:	Pagliacci Synopsis
Libretto:	Pagliacci Libretto
Translation(s):	English Deutsch

Aria details:

Type:	aria
Role(s):	Tonio
Voice(s):	Baritone
Act:	1.02

Previous scene:	Overture
Next scene:	Hei son qua ritornano!

Richard Bonelli. "Si può? Si può? Signore! Signori!" (Met, 1936).

Singer: Richard Bonelli

0 views
Large Small Description

Leoncavallo: Pagliacci.
Dirección musical: Gennaro Papi.
Nueva York, 29 de febrero de 1936.
Fotografía: Richard Bonelli como Tonio (Pagliacci).

En el libro "Saturday afternoons at the Old Met. The Metropolitan Opera broadcasts, 1931-1950" (p. 111), Paul Jackson escribe sobre la voz de Bonelli y su Tonio de 1936:

"Another extant broadcast of the italian repertory (Pagliacci on 29 February) offers oportunity to enjoy Bonelli in a complete portrayal [...] The recorded sound of Pagliacci is the best thus far. Bonelli's masterful voicing of the Prologue makes one wonder who is the premier Italian baritone of the era -he combines all the fat, rolling tone of Thomas and the point and dramatic flavor of Tibbett. Bonelli owns a voice of ravishing, darkly sensous color, full and even troughout the entire range, with menacing bite at the bottom and absolute freedom at the top (the interpolated A-flat is perfectly poised, no tenor tone but harboring the same rich claret hue as the rest of the voice). His cantabile ('E voi, piuttosto') is woven with a girdling legato and subtle use of portamento. Memories of the golden age of Italian baritones surface -Amato, even a touch of Ruffo potency- though Bonelli never pushes beyond the zones of musical taste. In the opera proper he completely leaves off his primo baritone stance and plays the character; how he enjoys watching Nedda with her lover. He moves quickly from the menace of 'si tradisca' to the sudden piano of 'fingere' as the advises Canio to wait, to pretend; and he is all fool in the play-within-a-play".

Watch videos with other singers performing Si puo signore signori!:

Mario del Monaco Leoncavallo Pagliacci Si puo Si puo Signore Signori 41987

6 - Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau

Pagliacci Si puo Si puo Signore Signori Tonio 42026

6 - Afro Poli

Pagliacci Si puo Si puo Signore Signori Tonio 42006

6 - Aldo Protti

Leoncavallo Pagliacci Prologue Si puo Signore Signori 41994

6 - Giuseppe Valdengo

Pagliacci Prologue Si puo Signore Signori Tonio 42024

6 - Tito Gobbi

Pagliacci Prologue Si puo Si puo Signore Signori Tonio 42013

6 - Leonard Warren

Quinn Kelsey performs Si puo signore signori Prologue from PAGLIACCI 375399

6 - Lucas Meachem
6 - Quinn Kelsey

6 - Mario Ancona
6 - Victor Maurel

Pagliacci Excerpts Prologue Si puo Si puo Signore Signori Tonio 42001

6 - Matteo Manuguerra
6 - Wolfgang Schöne

Libretto/Lyrics/Text/Testo:

PROLOGO
Tonio, in costume da Taddeo come nella commedia, passando attraverso al telone

TONIO
Si può?... Si può?...
poi salutando
Signore! Signori!... Scusatemi
se da sol me presento.
Io sono il Prologo:

Poiché in iscena ancor
le antiche maschere mette l'autore,
in parte ei vuol riprendere
le vecchie usanze, e a voi
di nuovo inviami.

Ma non per dirvi come pria:
«Le lacrime che noi versiam son false!
Degli spasimi e de' nostri martir
non allarmatevi!» No! No:
L'autore ha cercato
invece pingervi
uno squarcio di vita.
Egli ha per massima sol
che l'artista è un uom
e che per gli uomini
scrivere ei deve.
Ed al vero ispiravasi.

Un nido di memorie
in fondo a l'anima
cantava un giorno,
ed ei con vere lacrime scrisse,
e i singhiozzi
il tempo gli battevano!

Dunque, vedrete amar
sì come s'amano gli esseri umani;
vedrete de l'odio i tristi frutti.
Del dolor gli spasimi,
urli di rabbia, udrete,
e risa ciniche!

E voi, piuttosto
che le nostre povere gabbane d'istrioni,
le nostr'anime considerate,
poiché siam uomini
di carne e d'ossa,
e che di quest'orfano mondo
al pari di voi spiriamo l'aere!

English Libretto or Translation:

PROLOGUE

Introduction

TONIO
in the costume of Taddeo in the play, coming through the curtain
Excuse me!
bowing
Ladies and gentlemen,
forgive me for appearing alone.
I am the Prologue.
Since the author is putting on the stage
again the old Comedy of Masks,
he would like to revive
some of the old customs
and so sends me out again to you.
But not to say, as of old,
"The tears we shed are feigned!
Do not alarm yourselves at our sufferings
and our torments!"
No.
The author instead has sought to paint
for you a scene from life.
He takes as his basis simply
that the artist is a man
and that he must write for men.
His inspiration was a true story.
A horde of memories
was one day running through his heard,
and he wrote, shedding real tears,
with sobs to mark the time!
So you will see love,
as real as human beings' love:
You will see the sad fruit of hate.
You will hear agonies of grief,
cries of rage and bitter laughter!
So think then, not of our poor
theatrical costumes
but of our souls,
for we are men of flesh and blood.
Breathing the air of this lonely world
Just like you!
I have told you his plan.
Now hear how it is unfolded.
calling towards the stage
Come. Let's begin!