I Thessalonians 1:15-18- For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first. (KJV) 🎺 🕊 🙏🏽
Samuel Ramey is Superb! Interestingly this is done a step lower then when I did it in 1988. Also our Stage Director set it in 18th/19th Century Spanish Southwest America . . . think Zorro :)
The original key of this was D major. It is traditionally lowered one full step to C major as the F# in D major is too high to hold for a lot of true basses. There's another transposition down to G major for profundos, but that is very rare.
Amazing voice, remarkable performance! I have never heard this aria performed in such a mesmerizing way. Thank you so much for sharing this, my new favorite. Samuel Ramey is such a talent!
I had the opportunity to see and hear Samuel in person when he gave a recital benefiting the opera company in my city. A tremendous once in a life time opportunity to be certain 👍🙂
Qui Ramey aveva 34 anni se non sbaglio ( ho visto tutta l'opera su RU-vid). Non era un basso buffo e più avanti ha scelto un repertorio serio per il quale si sentiva più portato(Mefistofele, Maometto, ecc). Peccato però perché era secondo me divertente nel ruolo comico. 😂
Thanks so much for posting this! The audience, sounds like every one of them, knew they had just experienced something very special and important in the world of opera singers. Of course we all know the kind of career Ramey would rightfully enjoy, but to hear an aria known as playful turned into a masterpiece…This was, is, a moment still resonating decades later.
I know someone who heard Ramey in this role in Los Angeles back at the very beginning of Ramey's career. My acquaintance said that this tall, skinny guy walked out on stage and started singing, and everyone just sat there with their mouths open, absolutely stunned by the extraordinary and beautiful voice that they were hearing.
While, yes, Ramey is magnificent, you never heard Siepi. Why choose? I saw them both live many times in this role, yet never compared them, but reveled in their uniqueness.
English translation Calumny is a little breeze, a gentle zephyr, which insensibly, subtly, lightly and sweetly, commences to whisper. Softly softly, here and there, sottovoce, sibilant, it goes gliding, it goes rambling. Into the ears of the people, it penetrates slyly and the head and the brains it stuns and it swells. From the mouth re-emerging the noise grows crescendo, gathers force little by little, runs its course from place to place, seems the thunder of the tempest which from the depths of the forest comes whistling, muttering, freezing everyone in horror. Finally with crack and crash, it spreads afield, its force redoubled, and produces an explosion like the outburst of a cannon, an earthquake, a whirlwind, a general uproar, which makes the air resound. And the poor slandered wretch, vilified, trampled down, sunk beneath the public lash, by good fortune, falls to death.
O Freunde, nicht diese Töne! Sondern laßt uns angenehmere anstimmen, Und freudenvollere. Freude, schöner Götterfunken, Tochter aus Elysium, Wir betreten feuertrunken, Himmlische, dein Heiligtum! Deine Zauber binden wieder, Was die Mode streng geteilt; Alle Menschen werden Brüder, Wo dein sanfter Flügel weilt. Wem der große Wurf gelungen, Eines Freundes Freund zu sein, Mische seinen Jubel ein! Ja, wer auch nur eine Seele Sein nennt auf dem Erdenrund! Und wer's nie gekonnt, der stehle Weinend sich aus diesem Bund. Folgen ihrer Rosenspur. Küsse gab sie uns und Reben, Einen Freund, geprüft im Tod; Wollust ward dem Wurm gegeben, Und der Cherub steht vor Gott! Froh, wie seine Sonnen fliegen Durch des Himmels prächt'gen Plan, Laufet, Brüder, eure Bahn, Freudig, wie ein Held zum Siegen. Freude, schöner Götterfunken, Tochter aus Elysium, Wir betreten feuertrunken, Himmlische, dein Heiligtum! Deine Zauber binden wieder, Was die Mode streng geteilt; Alle Menschen werden Brüder, Wo dein sanfter Flügel weilt. Seid umschlungen Millionen. Diesen Kuß der ganzen Welt! Brüder! über'm Sternenzelt Muß ein lieber Vater wohnen Ihr stürzt nieder Millionen? Ahnest du den Schöpfer, Welt? Such' ihn über'm Sternenzelt! Über Sternen muß er wohnen. Freude schöner Götterfunken, Tochter aus Elysium, Wir betreten feuertrunken Himmlische, dein Heiligtum! Seid umschlungen Millionen! Diesen Kuß der ganzen Welt! Freude, Tochter aus Elysium! Deine Zauber binden wieder, Was die Mode streng geteilt. Alle Menschen werden Brüder, Wo dein sanfter Flügel weilt. Seid umschlungen, Millionen! Diesen Kuß der ganzen Welt! Brüder! über'm Sternenzelt Muß ein lieber Vater wohnen. Seid umschlungen! Diesen Kuss der ganzen Welt! Freude schöner Götterfunken! Tochter aus Elysium! Freude, schöner Götterfunken! Götterfunken!
