With the turn of the season, enjoy a sublime performance in an extraordinary venue. A Winter’s Evening is an intimate performance presented exclusively on operabox.tv. Rising soprano Gabriella Reyes makes her Boston Lyric Opera debut alongside BLO Emerging Artist alumnus and pianist Brett Hodgdon, and guitarist Zaira Meneses. Hosted by reigning Miss Massachusetts Sabrina Victor, and created and produced by BLO Emerging Artist alumnus Nathan Troup, this performance was recorded live at the Trustees’ Castle Hill at the Crane Estate, in Ipswich, MA.

This film was produced in accordance with guidelines provided by Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the City of Ipswich, the Trustees, American Federation of Musicians (AFM), American Guild of Musical Artists (AGMA), International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE), and with the recommendations of the BLO Health Task Force for Opera Artists.

Artists

Gabriella Reyes, Soprano

Sabrina Victor, Host

Brett Hodgdon, Pianist

Nathan Troup, Creator and Producer

Zaira Meneses, Classical Guitarist

Program

Cäcilie, Op. 27 No. 2
Composed by Richard Strauss
Poem by Heinrich Hart

Wenn Du es wüßtest,
Was träumen heißt
Von brennenden Küssen,
Vom Wandern und Ruhen
Mit der Geliebten,
Aug’ in Auge,
Und kosend und plaudernd –
Wenn Du es wüßtest,
Du neigtest Dein Herz!
Wenn Du es wüßtest,
Was bangen heißt
In einsamen Nächten,
Umschauert vom Sturm,
Da Niemand tröstet
Milden Mundes
Die kampfmüde Seele –
Wenn Du es wüßtest,
Du kämest zu mir.
Wenn Du es wüßtest,
Was leben heißt,
Umhaucht von der Gottheit
Weltschaffendem Atem,
Zu schweben empor,
Lichtgetragen,
Zu seligen Höh’en,
Wenn Du es wüßtest,
Du lebtest mit mir.

If you only knew
What it is to dream
Of burning kisses,
Of walking and resting
With one’s love,
Gazing at each other
And caressing and talking –
If you knew,
Your heart would turn to me.
If you knew
What it is to worry
On lonely nights
In the frightening storm,
With no soft voice
To comfort
The struggle-weary soul –
If you knew,
You would come to me.
If you knew
What it is to live
Enveloped in God’s
World-creating breath,
To soar upwards,
Borne on light
To blessed heights –
If you knew,
You would live with me.

O mio babbino caro
From Gianni Schicchi
Music by Giacomo Puccini
Libretto by Giovacchino Forzano

O mio babbino caro,
mi piace, è bello, bello;
vo’ andare in Porta Rossa
a comperar l’anello!
Sì, ci voglio andare!
E se l’amassi indarno,
andrei sul Ponte Vecchio,
ma per buttarmi in Arno!
Mi struggo e mi tormento!
O Dio, vorrei morir!
Babbo, pietà!

Oh my beloved daddy,
He pleases me, he is very handsome;
I want to go to Porta Rossa
to buy the ring!
Yes, yes, I want to go there!
And if I should love him in vain,
I would go to Ponte Vecchio,
but in order to throw myself into the Arno!
I am feeling tortured and I am tormented,
Oh God! I would like to die!
Daddy, have pity!

Silent Night / Noche de paz
Music by Franz Xaver Gruber
Poem by Joseph Mohr

Silent night, holy night!
All is calm, all is bright
‘Round yon virgin mother and child.
Holy Infant so tender and mild,
Sleep in heavenly peace,
Sleep in heavenly peace.
¡Noche de paz, noche de amor!
Todo duerme en derredor
Entre los astros que esparcen su luz
Bella anunciando al niñito Jesús
Brilla la estrella de paz
Brilla la estrella de paz

 Peaceful night, night of love
The world is at rest
Amid the stars that scatter their light
Beautifully announcing the little child Jesus
The star of peace is shining.
The star of peace is shining.

Quando m’en vo
From La bohème
Composed by Giacomo Puccini
Libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacoso

Quando m’en vo’ soletta per la via,
la gente sosta e mira. . .
e la bellezza mia tutta ricerca in me
da capo a piè.
Ed assaporo allor la bramosia sottil,
che da gli occhi traspira;
e dai palesi vezzi intender sa alle occulte beltà.
Così l’effluvio del desìo tutta m’aggira,
felice mi fa!
E tu che sai, che memori e ti struggi
Da me tanto rifuggi?
So ben: le angoscie tue non le vuoi dir;
so ben, ma ti senti morir!

When I go out walking alone on the street,
people stop and stare . . .
and they examine my beauty
from head to toe.
And then I savor the subtle yearnings
which transpires from their eyes;
and from the obvious charms they perceive the most hidden beauties.
So the scent of desire completely surrounds me
it makes me happy!
And you who knows, who remembers and yearns,
you avoid me so?
I know well; you do not want to tell me of your anguish;
I know well, but you feel you are like dying!

When You Wish Upon a Star
Music by Leigh Harline
Words by Ned Washington

When you wish upon a star
Makes no difference who you are
Anything your heart desires will come to you

If your heart is in your dreams
No request is too extreme
When you wish upon a star your dreams come true

Fate is kind
She brings to those who love
The sweet fulfillment of their secret longing

Like a bolt out of the blue
Fate steps in and sees you through
When you wish upon a star
Your dreams come true

Over the rainbow
By Harold Arlen
Lyrics by E. Y. Harburg

When all the world is a hopeless jumble
and the raindrops tumble all around
heaven opens a magic lane.

When all the clouds darken up the skyway
there’s a rainbow highway to be found
leading from your windowpane
to a place behind the sun
just a step beyond the rain.

Somewhere, over the rainbow way up high
there’s a land that I heard of once in a lullaby

Somewhere, over the rainbow skies are blue
and the dreams that you dare to dream
really do come true.

Someday I’ll wish upon a star and wake up where the clouds are far behind me
Where troubles melt like lemon drops away above the chimney tops that’s where you’ll find me.

Somewhere, over the rainbow bluebirds fly
birds fly over the rainbow
Why then, oh, why can’t I?

If happy little bluebirds fly
Beyond the rainbow
Why, oh, why can’t I?

Chi il bel sogno
From La rondine
Composed by Giacomo Puccini
Libretto by Alfred Maria Willner and Heinz Reichert

Chi il bel sogno di Doretta potè indovinar?
Il suo mister come mai finì?
Ahimè! un giorno uno studente in bocca la baciò,
E fu quell bacio rivelazione:
fu la passione!
Folle amore! Folle ebbrezza!
Chi la sottil carezza d’un bacio così ardente
mai ridir potrà?
Ah! mio sogno! Ah! mia vita!
Che importa la ricchezza se alfin è rifiorita la felicità!
O sogno d’or poter amar così!

Who could guess Doretta’s glorious dream?
How did its mystery end?
Alas! One day a student kissed her lips,
and that kiss was a revelation:
it was passion!
Frenzied love! Frenzied intoxication!
Who could ever describe the subtle caress
of a kiss so ardent?
Ah, my dream! Ah, my life!
What does wealth matter if happiness has flourished again?
Oh, golden dream, to be able to love like that!

Nana
From Siete canciones populares españolas
Composed by Manuel De Falla

Duérmete, niño, duerme,
duerme, mi alma,
duérmete, lucerito de la mañana.
Nanita, nana.
duérmete, lucerito de la mañana.

Go to sleep, child, sleep
sleep, my soul,
Go to sleep, little star of the morning.
Lullay, lullay,
Go to sleep, little star of the morning.

Gracias a la Vida
By Violeta Parra Sandoval

Gracias a la vida, que me ha dado tanto
Me dio dos luceros, que cuando los abro,
perfecto distingo lo negro del blanco,
y en el alto cielo, su fondo estrellado,
y en las multitudes, el hombre que yo amo.

Gracias a la vida, que me ha dado tanto
Me ha dado el sonido y el abecedario
Con él, las palabras que pienso y declaro
Madre, amigo, hermano y luz alumbrando
La ruta del alma del que estoy amando

Gracias a la vida, que me ha dado tanto
Me ha dado la marcha de mis pies cansados
Con ellos anduve ciudades y charcos
Playas y desiertos, montañas y llanos
Y la casa tuya, tu calle y tu patio

Gracias a la vida, que me ha dado tanto
Me dio el corazón que agita su marco
Cuando miro el fruto del cerebro humano
Cuando miro el bueno tan lejos del malo
Cuando miro el fondo de tus ojos claros

Gracias a la vida, que me ha dado tanto
Me ha dado la risa y me ha dado el llanto
Así yo distingo dicha de quebranto
Los dos materiales que forman mi canto
Y el canto de ustedes que es el mismo canto
Y el canto de todos que es mi propio canto

Gracias a la vida, gracias a la vida

Thanks to life, which has given me so much.
It gave me two lights which, when I open them,
Perfectly distinguish black from white,
And in the sky, its starry depths,
And within the multitudes, the man that I love.

Thanks to life, which has given me so much.
It has given me sound and the alphabet,
With them the words that I think and declare:
Mother, friend, brother, and the light illuminating
the path of the soul that I am loving.

Thanks to life, which has given me so much.
It has given me the march of my tired feet.
With them I have trod cities and puddles
Beaches and deserts, mountains and plains,
Your home, your street, and your patio.

Thanks to life, which has given me so much.
It gave me my heart that excites its frame
when I see the fruit of the human mind,
when I see the good so far away from the bad,
when I look into the depths of your clear eyes.

Thanks to life, which has given to me so much.
It has given me laughter, and it has given me weeping,
Thus I distinguish happiness from devastation
The two materials that form my song,
As well as your song, which is the same song
And the song of everyone, which is my own song.

Thanks to life, thanks to life.

Alma mia 
By María Grever

Alma mía sola, siempre sola
Sin que nadie comprenda tu sufrimiento
Tu horrible padecer
Fingiendo una existencia siempre llena
De dicha y de placer
De dicha y de placer
Si yo encontrara un alma como la mía
Cuantas cosas secretas le contaría
Un alma que al mirarme, sin decir nada
Me lo dijese todo con la mirada
Un alma que embriagase con suave aliento
Que al besarme sintiera lo que yo siento
Y a veces me pregunto qué pasaría
Si yo encontrara un alma como la mía
Un alma que al mirarme, sin decir nada
Me lo dijese todo con la mirada

My lonesome soul, always alone
With nobody who understands your suffering,
Your terrible suffering
Feigning an existence that is always full
Of happiness and pleasure
Of happiness and pleasure
If I were to find a soul like mine,
how many secrets would I tell it?
A soul that, upon looking at me, without saying anything
Would tell me everything with a gaze.
A soul that intoxicates with a sweet breath,
that, upon kissing me, would feel what I feel
And sometimes I ask myself what would happen
If I were to find a soul like mine
A soul that looks at me, without saying anything
It would speak to me with just one look

Marietta’s Lied
From Die tote Stadt
Composed by Erich Korngold
Libretto by Julius Korngold

Glück, das mir verblieb,
rück zu mir, mein treues Lieb.
Abend sinkt im Hag
bist mir Licht und Tag.
Bange pochet Herz an Herz
Hoffnung schwingt sich himmelwärts.
Wie wahr, ein traurig Lied.
Das Lied vom treuen Lieb,
das sterben muß.
Ich kenne das Lied.
Ich hört es oft in jungen,
in schöneren Tagen,
Es hat noch eine Strophe –
weiß ich sie noch?
Naht auch Sorge trüb,
rück zu mir, mein treues Lieb.
Neig dein blaß Gesicht
Sterben trennt uns nicht.
Mußt du einmal von mir gehn,
glaub, es gibt ein Aufersteh’n.

Happiness remaining near to me,
come close to me, my true love.
Evening sinks in the grove,
you are my light and my day.
Anxiously beats heart on heart
Hope soars towards heaven.
How true, a mournful song.
The song of true love,
that must die.
I know this song.
I heard it often in younger,
in fairer days.
It has one more verse –
do I know it still?
Though sorrow draws near,
come close to me, my true love.
Lean your pale face on me
Death will not separate us.
If you must leave me one day,
believe, there is an afterlife.

Have yourself a merry little Christmas
From Meet Me in St. Louis
By Ralph Blane and Hugh Martin

Have yourself a merry little Christmas,
let your heart be light,
next year all our troubles will be out of sight.

Have yourself a merry little Christmas,
make the Yuletide gay,
next year all our troubles will be miles away.

Once again as in olden days,
happy golden days of yore,
faithful friends who are dear to us
will be near to us once more.

Someday soon we all will be together,
if the fates allow,
until then we’ll have to muddle through somehow.
So have yourself a merry little Christmas now.

Images:

  • GabriellaReyes-2020: photo by Suzanne Vinnik