At Welsh National Opera, we’ve been embracing the spirit of love as we prepare for St Valentine’s Day. There’s no better way to experience the epitome of human emotion than through a beautiful aria. From the bittersweet to the utterly tragic, we’ve curated our list of the top five most romantic opera songs.
Love at first sight: Che geliadamanina (What a frozen little hand) from La bohème
Christmas Eve, the Latin Quarter, Paris. A struggling poet named Rodolfo spends the night (once again) alone. He hears a fateful knock on the door; on the other side, his neighbour, Mimi, desperately searching for a match to return to her room. The fateful encounter suddenly takes a turn; Mimi loses her key, and as candlelight begins to flicker, the search is on. In the scurry, Rodolfo manages to find the key but decides to hide it. As he reaches out in the darkness, he touches her hand, What a frozen hand you have; let me warm it for you. In a typical operatic fashion, this would turn into one of Puccini’s most iconic arias, Che geliada manina. A touching song that encapsulates the heart-racing sensation of love at first sight.
Unrequited love: The Flower Song from Carmen
Like most on St. Valentine’s Day – your love is probably not reciprocal. Don’t worry; you’re not the only failed Casanova. Join Don José, a naïve soldier who falls madly in love with the hypnotic Carmen. In his many attempts to woo Carmen, Don José sings the famous aria, The Flower Song, in which Don José returns the flower Carmen threw to him in the first act. An intoxicatingly passionate song about an unobtainable love, this was a definite inclusion to our list.
The tragic love: And the stars were shining from Tosca
Moving on from the unrequited to the utterly dramatic. E lucevan le stelle or And the Stars Were Shining is an opera at its finest. Mario Cavaradossi, a painter in love with the singer Tosca, sings this heart-wrenching aria while waiting for his execution on the roof of the Castel Sant'Angelo.
Wrestling with his own mortality and his love for Tosca, this heart-wrenching aria is the embodiment of Mario's dedication to Tosca and serves as one of the Opera's most iconic moments.
Longing: Un bel dì from Madam Butterfly
Un bel di (One Fine Day) is a tragic aria which perfectly encapsulates the feeling of a longing for love. Cio-Cio San (Butterfly) awaits her long-absent husband, Pinkerton, to return to Japan. Her maid, Suzuki, however, is doubtful. In her effort to convince her maid, Butterfly sings a lyrically rich and extremely poignant aria about Pinkerton’s eventual return on a fleet of white ships.