Ombra mai fu

This piece is from the Opera :
Serse

This piece is for the role/s :
Serse

The setting is a magnificent garden in Abydos, on the southern shore of the Hellespont. On his arrival in Abydos, Serse had been captivated by one particular plane tree and has created a garden with a summerhouse around it. He praises its beauty and trusts that thunder, lightning and tempest will never disturb the peace that surrounds it.

A moving and justly famous aria for mezzo. Although short, the recitative is divided into two sections, one accompanied, one punctuated with orchestral chords. In the aria, beauty of tone and a tranquil energy are essential as the vocal line reflects and embodies the nature of the plane tree. Simplicity and clean singing add to the sense of peace. No ornamentation is needed, except possibly for a short trill in the final cadence. Beware the temptation to sing short phrases, as the writing can easily be divided into two-bar sections. Note that the aria is marked Larghetto (faster than Largo).

In the context of the opera, this is a difficult piece to perfom. The singer is required to create the tone for the entire opera with its most famous piece, and with only a page of recitative to set up both vocally and dramatically.

© 2005 Jeremy Fisher
Internet rights 2005 OperaTalent