This summer, WNO Orchestra tour Music from the Heart, an evening of some of opera’s most romantic and luscious melodies ever written, designed to tug on the heartstrings and capture the intensity of love, lust, and heartache. We caught up with tenor and soloist Trystan Llŷr Griffiths who joins WNO Orchestra and soprano Nadine Benjamin for the tour to find out which pieces of music he holds dear.
Una furtiva lagrima from The Elixir of Love
No one forgets their first aria and that is why this piece has a special place in Trystan’s heart. Written by the Italian composer Gaetano Donizetti, Una furtiva lagrima is an aria that tells the tale of Nemorino’s love for Adina. He buys a love potion that Adina drinks, and as the titular ‘furtive tear’ appears in her eyes, he mistakenly believes the potion to be working.
Intermezzo from Cavalleria rusticana
An orchestral masterpiece, placed in the middle of the one-act opera by Pietro Mascagni, this piece is full of themes of longing, lust, and love, and has soared beyond the confines of its origins, regularly placing among the most beautiful music ever composed. For Trystan, it carries a much deeper and more personal meaning: On their wedding day, Trystan’s wife walked down the aisle to this hauntingly beautiful piece.
Nadolig o’r Newydd
This piece will always hold a special place in Trystan’s heart. Written to celebrate his daughter’s first Christmas in 2019, the song describes how Trystan’s perspective and emotions towards the winter holiday changed after becoming a father for the first time. The words, written by renowned Welsh poet Ceri Wyn Jones, accompany Caradog Williams’ timeless music.
O soave fanciulla from La bohѐme
This opera is regaled as one of the most romantic and heartbreaking of all time, and this duet is a major factor. Puccini’s soaring music tells the tale of the two lovers confessing their love to one another in Rodolfo’s cold apartment in bohemian Paris. O soave fanciulla is a wonderful expression of desire, and this tale of burgeoning love has stuck as an opera favourite throughout the 20th century and is a must listen for any classical music fan. Coincidentally, you can hear Trystan and Nadine perform this masterpiece during the Music from the Heart tour.
Llanrwst
A staple in the Welsh repertoire, this is Trystan’s favourite Welsh song. Composed by leading Welsh composer Gareth Glyn, to the words by his father, the poet T Glynne Davies, the song is about the town of Llanrwst, in North Wales - T Glynne Davies’ place of birth, and in the words, we hear his affection for the place and his longing to return there.
Music from the Heart will be on tour until Thursday 20 July. Don’t miss your opportunity to enjoy this romantic evening of musical favourites, performed by Trystan Llŷr Griffiths, Nadine Benjamin and WNO Orchestra, conducted by Matthew Kofi Waldren.