Opera title: | Manon Lescaut |
Composer: | Giacomo Antonio Puccini |
Language: | Italian |
Synopsis: | Manon Lescaut Synopsis |
Libretto: | Manon Lescaut Libretto |
Translation(s): | English Deutsch |
Type: | aria |
Role(s): | Manon Lescaut |
Voice(s): | Soprano |
Act: | 4.04-1 |
Previous scene: | E nulla nulla! |
Next scene: | Fra le tue braccia, amore! |
Magda Olivero (née Maria Maddalena Olivero, 25 March 1910) is a soprano of the verismo-school of singing. She was born in Saluzzo, Italy. Olivero made her operatic debut in 1932 on Turin radio in Nino Cattozzo's (1886--1961) oratorio I misteri dolorosi. She performed widely and increasingly successfully until 1941, when she married and retired from performing. She returned to the stage ten years later, at the request of Francesco Cilea, who asked her to sing the title role in his opera Adriana Lecouvreur. From 1951 until her final retirement, Olivero sang in opera houses around the world. Among her most renowned interpretations were the leading parts in Adriana Lecouvreur, Iris, Fedora, La bohème, La fanciulla del West, La traviata, La Wally, Madama Butterfly, Manon Lescaut, Mefistofele, and Turandot (as Liù.) Among her studio recordings are Turandot (as Liù, with Gina Cigna, for Cetra, 1938), Fedora (with Mario Del Monaco and Tito Gobbi, conducted by Lamberto Gardelli, for Decca, 1969) and highlights from Francesca da Rimini (with Del Monaco, conducted by Nicola Rescigno, for Decca, 1969). In 1993, she recorded, with piano accompaniment, Adriana Lecouvreur (with Marta Moretto as the Princesse de Bouillon); excerpts from this recording were published on the Bongiovanni label. At age 86, she performed Adriana's monologue in Jan Schmidt-Garre's film Opera Fanatic. She made occasional singing appearances into her nineties...
Lyrics & English Translation
Lonely forsaken and abandoned
All my hope then is over.
And in the heart of this desert
I'm dying. O wretched hapless woman!
I sought this region as a peaceful haven.
Ah! Through my fatal beauty
Torments afresh surround me
They would have severed me from him;
Mow all my past does haunt me
With fearful pangs of anguish,
And rises straight before
My eyes to rend me.
New dangers come to threaten
Only the tomb can release me from my burden.
No! Let me not die dearest help me!
Please Enjoy!
I send my kind and warm regards,
Des Grieux adagia Manon sopra un rialzo di terreno, poi resta ancora irresoluto in preda a fiero contrasto. Indi s'allontana a poco a poco; giunto nel fondo rimane di nuovo dubbioso e fissa Manon con occhi disperati; quindi, con improvvisa risoluzione parte correndo. L'orizzonte si oscura. L'ambascia vince Manon; è stravolta, impaurita, accasciata.
MANON
Sola, perduta, abbandonata …
in landa desolata!
Orror! Intorno a me s'oscura il ciel …
Ahimè, son sola!
E nel profondo deserto io cado,
strazio crudel, ah! sola abbandonata,
io, la deserta donna!
alzandosi
Ah! non voglio morir!
No! non voglio morir!
Tutto dunque è finito.
Terra di pace mi sembrava questa …
Ahi! mia beltà funesta,
ire novelle accende …
Strappar da lui mi si volea; or tutto
il mio passato orribile risorge,
e vivo innanzi al guardo mio si posa.
Ah! di sangue s'è macchiato.
Ah! tutto è finito.
Asil di pace ora la tomba invoco …
No! non voglio morir … amore, aita!
Des Grieux places Manon on top of the ground, then he is still irresolute in a fierce contrast. Then he moves away little by little; in the background he remains doubtful again and stares at Manon with desperate eyes; then, with sudden resolution, he starts running. The horizon darkens. The ambassador wins Manon; it is twisted, frightened, slumped.
MANON
Lonely, lost, abandoned ...
in desolate land!
Horror! The sky is dark around me ...
Alas, I am alone!
And in the deep desert I fall,
cruel torture, ah! alone abandoned,
me, the deserted woman!
getting up
Ah! I do not want to die!
No! I do not want to die!
So everything is finished.
Land of peace seemed to me this ...
Ouch! my fateful beauty,
ire novelle turns on ...
He turned from me; or everything
my horrible past rises again,
and I live in front of my gaze and settles.
Ah! of blood he has stained himself.
Ah! everything is finished.
Asil of peace now the grave invokes ...
No! I do not want to die ... love, aita!
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Sheetmusic for opera | ![]() |
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