Oh, quante volte (Bellini)

ECCOMI IN LIETA VESTA ... OH! QUANTE VOLTE

Eccomi in lieta vesta... eccomi adorna...

Come vittima all'ara. Oh! almen potessi

Qual vittima cader dell'ara al piede!

O nuzïali tede,

Abborrite così, così fatali,

Siate, ah! siate per me faci ferali.

Ardo... una vampa, un foco

Tutta mi strugge.

Un refrigerio ai venti io chiedo invano.

Ove se'tu, Romeo?

In qual terra t'aggiri?

Dove, dove invïarti i miei sospiri?

Oh! quante volte,

Oh! quante ti chiedo

Al ciel piangendo

Con quale ardor t'attendo,

E inganno il mio desir!

Raggio del tuo sembiante

Parmi il brillar del giorno:

L'aura che spira intorno

Mi sembra un tuo respir.

Soprano: Pamela Andrews

Pianist: Alan Hicks

Filmed and recorded in Llewellyn Hall, Canberra, by the Australian National University, November 2010, on behalf of Pamela Andrews.

Edited for YouTube by JRR4FILM Productions.

© JRR4FILM Productions 2011

"Oh! quante volte" is a lyric coloratura aria from the first act of the Italian opera "I Capuleti e i Montecchi" by Vincenzo Bellini, and is performed by the character Giulietta: the daughter of Capellio, and lover of Romeo. The scene is set on Giulietta's balcony in the palace of Capulet, Verona, Italy, in the fifteenth century; Giulietta is longing for Romeo to come and see her; she wishes to see his silhouette in the light of the day, and hear his sigh, which reminds her of the breeze. The opera is based on an opera by Nicola Vaccai, Giulietta e Romeo, which was based on the play by English playwright, William Shakespeare.

Pamela Andrews is a Tasmanian-born lyric soprano and a recent Master's graduate of the Australian National University. Pamela is currently studying with soprano Louise Page (Canberra), having previously studied under Jane Edwards and Marilyn Smith (Hobart). Read more about Pamela at http://www.sopranopamela.com

Alan Hicks is a graduate of Newcastle Conservatorium of Music (DSCM piano and flute) and the Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester (Diploma in Professional Performance with distinction). Alan is currently Head of Voice at the Australian National University. Read

more about pianist Alan Hicks at

http://music.anu.edu.au/academic-staff/Alan-Hicks