Best Of – OPERA DREAM ARIAS – TOP 10

Plot: Micaela arrives in the mountains where José is leading his life with the smugglers. She is still in love with Don José, but is afraid in this environment and of Carmen. She encourages herself that she should not be afraid of anything.

Bizet introduces this piece with a short, beautiful horn motif. The accompanying horns, and the sultry strings set with mutes create a touching mood.

Listen to the dreamy “Je dis que rien ne m’épouvante” by Leontyne Price in the famous recording by Herbert von Karajan.

Plot: Cavaradossi is trapped in a cell. It is just before dawn and his execution is imminent. He holds Tosca’s amulet in his hands and says farewell.

It is a great aria written in typical Puccini style; while Cavaradossi sings a monotonous passage in the first part of the piece, he is accompanied by an expressive melody of the clarinet.

He thinks back to their nights of love, until with “Svani sempre” the dark, hopeless thoughts dominate and finally in “Muoio disparato” the despair bursts out of him. After the aria, Puccini instructs the tenor to burst into tears.

We hear Placido Domingo.

Plot: Nedda fears the jealousy and violence of her husband. She is restless because she secretly loves Silvio, a young man from the village.

A flock of birds descends upon her and her mood brightens in the following “Stridono lassu”. Shimmering strings and harp music trace the wing beats of the flock of birds. Nedda wants to do the same as the birds and escape to freedom.

Listen to Maria Callas in a gripping recording. Her address to the bird begins with a beautiful trill and builds to ecstasy over 3 minutes.

Plot: The morning is dawning. Lensky stands in a desolate snowy landscape. In a short time, Onegin will appear for the duel. in foreboding of death, his thoughts wander back to his past youth and his love for Olga.

This elegiac aria has a beautiful line is written in high register.

This aria is a wonderful match for Björling’s naturally melancholy voice. Beauty of tone and pain in the voice grab the listener.

Plot: An evil premonition has seized Agathe. She has had a nightmare before the day of the wedding. She sings about her trust in God that he will protect her.

Accompanied by a solo cello, this aria exudes the solemn mood of the dawning day of the wedding. The second part is prayerful and describes Agathe’s trust in God. The devout von Weber composed this song intimately and it must be sung with an almost childlike expression. The piece ends with the beautiful mood of the first part.

You can hear Gundula Janowitz in this aria. Her voice was wonderfully clear, almost entirely without vibrato. This quality makes the prayerfulness of this aria seem unearthly beautiful. An impeccable purity distinguishes this interpretation.

Plot: Siegmund comes face to face with Sieglinde. A magical force draws him to her. The storm has passed and magically shines the moon in the sky.

Wagner composed a cantabile for this love song, the likes of which we never hear elsewhere in the entire Ring. In “Italian” manner, accompanied by muted strings and undulating triplets, a lyrical aria unfolds.

We hear a beautiful interpretation by Jonas Kaufmann.

Plot: Hoffmann is in love with Olympia. He watches her sleep and dreams of being with her.

This dream aria captivates with its romantic melody and the expressive dialogue of the tenor voice with the solo horn.

The interpretation is by Julius Patzak. It is expressive and sensual. The vibrato of his voice conveys an immediate emotion that grabs the listener.

Action: Lohengrin solemnly announces to all his origins. He is a knight of the holy grail, come from the castle Montsalvat. His father is Parzival. He himself is his knight, called Lohengrin. He was sent by the Grail to fight evil and protect virtue.

In radiant A major, Lohengrin tells of his origins. It is a bright, high key that announces the heavenly spheres of the Grail. High shimmering violins convey the sense of rapture and the spherical.

We hear an interpretation by Placido Domingo, who shaped this aria into a rapturous dream aria like no other.

Plot: Agathe senses disaster. It is late in the evening and her fiancé has not yet returned. She prays to God that he may return home safely.

Agathe intones a song that is among the most beautiful that German Romanticism has produced. A slow introduction sets the mood of the full moon night. In a warm voice animated by love, Agathe sings the beautiful cantilena “Leise, leise”.

Elisabeth Schwarzkopf’s interpretation is of an overwhelming intensity and yet intimacy.