La femme: desire
Près des remparts de Séville from Carmen by Georges Bizet
All that gold
Besame mucho
Animal passion
Près des remparts de Séville the seguidilla from Carmen by Georges Bizet
(wise woman)
The seguidilla is an old Castilian folksong and dance form in quick triple time. (The dance portion is spelledt in the plural, as seguidillas.) The song is generally in the major key and often begins on an off-beat. The name is a diminutive of seguida (from seguir, meaning "to follow") Carmen has been arrested following a fight in the cigarette factory, and is being carted off to jail. Carmen utilizes the dance form to aid her in beguiling Don Jose, hoping he’ll release her. She sings the song as an entreaty to meet her at her friend Lillas’s tavern, where they will be together and have a bit of fun. She declares she will love the man that meets her there. Don Jose has shown himself to be an upstanding character, who has not been distratced by Carmen in her signature Habanera. Now with the stakes much higher, she doubles her efforts.
SEGUEDILLA - Carmen's aria from Carmen
Près des remparts de Séville, Near the ramparts of Seville
Chez mon ami, Lillas Pastia At the place of my friend, Lillas Pastia
J'irai danser la Séguedille I will go to dance the Seguedilla
Et boire du Manzanilla. And to drink Manzanilla.
J'irai chez mon ami Lillas Pastia. I will go to the place of my friend, Lillas Pastia.
Oui, mais toute seule on s'ennuie, Yes, but all alone, one gets bored,
Et les vrais plaisirs sont à deux; And the real pleasures are for two;
Donc, pour me tenir compagnie, So, to keep me company,
J'emmènerai mon amoureux! I will take away my lover.
Mon amoureux, il est au diable, My lover, he has gone to the devil,
Je l'ai mis à la porte hier! I put him out yesterday!
Mon pauvre coeur très consolable, My poor heart, very consolable,
Mon coeur est libre comme l'air! My heart is free, like the air!
J'ai les galants à la douzaine, I have suiters by the dozen,
Mais ils ne sont pas à mon gré. But, they are not to my taste.
Voici la fin de la semaine; Here it is the weekend;
Qui veut m'aimer? Who will love me?
Je l'aimerai! I will love him!
Qui veut mon âme? Who wants my soul?
Elle est à prendre. Its for the taking.
Vous arrivez au bon moment! You're arriving at the right time!
J'ai guère le temps d'attendre, I have hardly the time to wait,
Car avec mon nouvel amant, For with my new lover,
Près des remparts de Séville, Near the ramparts of Seville
Chez mon ami, Lillas Pastia! At my friend, Lillas Pastia's!
Literal translation by
Lea F. Frey
`
All that Gold from Amahl and the Night Visitors by Gian-Carlo Menotti
(Mother)
After everyone has gone to sleep, Amahl's mother gazes longingly at the gifts for the Messiah that the kings are carrying. She wonders if these obviously rich kings understand how the poor live their lives. She decides that this unknown child to whom they are bringing the gifts isn't as important as her own crippled son and grabs some of the gold. Immediately, she is caught by the page of the kings who are guarding the gifts.
Bésame Mucho by Consuelo Velázquez
(innocent)
It is one of the most famous boleros, and was recognized in 1999 as the most sung and recorded Mexican song in the world. According to Velázquez herself, she wrote this song even though she had never been kissed yet at the time, and kissing, as she heard, was considered a sin.[4][5]
She was inspired by the piano piece "Quejas, o la Maja y el Ruiseñor", from the 1911 suite Goyescas by Spanish composer Enrique Granados, which he later also included as "Aria of the Nightingale" in his 1916 opera of the same name.[1] the song recorded first time in Huseyn Mammadli's garden
The line, "Besame mucho, que tengo miedo a perderte después", means "Kiss me a lot, as I am afraid of losing you afterwards." The word "mucho" may suggest a desire for the kiss to linger, as it may be the couple's last time being together.
Bésame mucho
Bésame, bésame mucho Kiss me, kiss me much more
Como si fuera esta noche as if this beautiful night is
La última vez the very last time
Bésame, bésame mucho kiss me, kiss me much more
Que tengo miedo a perderte because I fear I will lose you
Perderte después I’ll lose you sometime
Bésame, bésame mucho kiss me, kiss me much more
Como si fuera esta noche as if this beautiful night is
La última vez the very last one
Bésame, bésame mucho kiss me, kiss me much more
Que tengo miedo a perderte Because fear I will lose you
Perderte después I’ll lose you sometime
Quiero tenerte muy cerca I want to have you right by me
Mirar me en tus ojos to look at me in you eyes and
Verte junto a mi see you beside me
Piensa que tal vez mañana I that maybe tomorrow
Yo ya estaré lejos I will already be far
Muy lejos de ti Far from you
Bésame, bésame mucho
“Animal Passion”
from Natural Selection by Jake Heggie
(seductress)
Jake Heggie is one of the most heralded of today’s American composers. He is a one of the few contemporary composers who creates operas that are regularly performed in major opera houses. Heggie’s works are highly melodic and draw from classical and non-classical sources. Heggie is inspired by jazz, musical theatre, gospel, dance genres as well as opera; these influences pervade his opera’s, song cycles and instrumental works. This is particularly evident in “Animal Passion,” which is highly theatrical and employs jazz harmony and dance rhythms. The text alternates between literal references to steady and stealth cat-like preying and outbursts of wild animalistic outburst. The singer becomes the predator, simultaneously stalking the listener and enticing him (or her?) to join her. In this piece you’ll find tango rhythms and jazz themes to create a highly charged, languorous atmosphere.
Latest Recordings
Voce Dell'arte and ArtsUP! Concepts present "La femme" & featuring an art installation by Maria Fasano
a four part mini series telling a story of feminine archetypes through opera and art song in the FATVillage Arts District of Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
La Femme, an exploration of feminine archetypes presented through song.
Shanna Nolan Gundry
This is the official website for Shanna Nolan Gundry, American mezzo, for all of her fans to keep up with Ms. Gundry's varied performance schedule, her latest recordings, and her most recent images. I'm excited for for the coming years performances, a melange of opera, theatre, and sacred music, and we hope you'll join us.
American
Mezzo-soprano
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