Giuseppe Verdi: Libiamo ne’ lieti calici Context Composed between Il trovatore (1853) and Les vêpres siciliennes (1855), La Traviata was part of Giuseppe Verdi’s ‘middle period’ of composition. Previous to La Traviata came 16 other operas including the ever-popular Nabucodonosor (1842) and Rigoletto (1851). Based at the start of the Read more…
Gioachino Rossini: Duetto buffo di due gatti Context & Music Also famously known as the ‘Cat Duet’, Rossini’s Duetto buffo di due gatti (‘Humorous duet for cats’) is now a popular performance piece. Originally for two sopranos, this comical encore is a popular duet for any two voice types. Consisting Read more…
Alma Mahler: Five Songs for Voice and Piano Context Composed between 1899-1910 and published around the year 1911, Alma Mahler’s Five Songs for Voice and Piano have stood the test of time. Each of the five songs are based on a poem that Mahler liked: Die stille Stadt (The Read more…
Ralph Vaughan Williams: The Vagabond Context Ralph Vaughan Williams’ The Vagabond was originally set for voice and piano and is part of a larger song cycle entitled Songs of Travel. Composed between 1901-1904, this was Vaughan Williams’ first major offering in the world of vocal music. Songs of Travel is Read more…
Léo Delibes: Flower Duet Context Léo Delibes’ three act opera Lakmé is perhaps this French composer’s most well-known work. Composed between 1881-1882, Lakmé is based on Le Mariage de Loti by Pierre Loti, and Les babouches du Brahamane by Théodore Pavie. Flower Duet features in Act 1 of the opera, and is now performed as a stand alone vocal piece in Read more…
Peter Warlock: Sleep Born on 30th October 1894, Peter Warlock was a British composer and music journalist. Whilst working in music he was known by the pseudonym Peter Warlock, with his birth name actually being Philip Arnold Hestletine. He is best-known for his songs and vocal music, which included sets of Read more…
George Frideric Handel: Ombra mai fù Commonly known as Handel’s ‘Largo of Love’, Ombra mai fù is the opening aria in the 1738 opera Serse. Sung by the character Xerxes I of Persia, the vocal part is composed for a countertenor. Perhaps the most striking element of this aria is the vocal range used, as it the Read more…