5 on Friday - Set 79

Travis at Trav's Thoughts invites everyone to lay down a short set of music that takes their fancies for his 5 on Friday meme.

Anyone for a Night at the Opera?

Many of you will recall that I once worked at a performing arts theatre in Toronto for nearly a decade, mainly because I'm a ballet freak and it was a way to watch all the ballet I could stand - which is A LOT.

But the theatre was also home to The Canadian Opera Company, and over the years I had the intense pleasure of experiencing 24 opera seasons over an 8-year period.

These pieces are some of the ones I've enjoyed most - although we never had a Mozart opera performed at our theatre, because the late conductor and artistic director Richard Bradshaw wouldn't stage Mozart in our not-intimate-enough theatre.


1 - Quando m'en vo / Musetta's Waltz from Puccini's La Boheme - Anna Netrebko

Musetta, the secondary female character, saucily antagonizes a potential love interest.





2 - Queen of the Night from Mozart's The Magic Flute - Rita Streich

The Queen of the Night threatens her daughter with disownment if she does not kill her enemy.

CLICK HERE to listen to the aria



3 - Les tringles des sistres tintaient / Gypsy song from Bizet's Carmen - Agnes Baltsa

Carmen and the other gypsies celebrate their untamed culture at Lillas Pastia's inn, in the presence of military officers.



4 - E lucevan le stelle / How the stars shine from Puccini's Tosca - Plácido Domingo

Painter Mario Cavaradossi contemplates the heightened sweetness of life as he is about to lose it, living through his final night before execution.



5 - Nessun dorma / None shall sleep from Puccini's Turandot - Luciano Pavarotti

This is the Prince's secret confidence that he alone will be the only man who will win - not only the unyielding Princess's hand in marriage - but her heart, as well.