Barbara Bonney sings Liszt

This is one of the most beautiful performances of one of my very favorite art songs. Barbara Bonney sings Franz Liszt's Oh! quand je dors with such passion and tenderness that it brings tears to the eyes!

Oh, when I sleep, approach my bed,
as Laura appeared to Petrach;
and as you pass, touch me with your breath...
at once my lips
will part!

On my glum face, where perhaps
a dark dream has rested for too long a time,
let your gaze lift it like a star...
at once my dream
will be radiant!

Then on my lips, where there flits a brilliance,
a flash of love that God has kept pure,
place a kiss, and transform from angel into woman...
at once my soul
will awaken!

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Songs of Love: Se tu m'ami

Be forewarned of the lovely Sylvia! She'll steal your heart and then she'll break it!

Kind shepherd, if you love me,
if you sigh for me alone,
I am sorry for your suffering,
and am pleased by your love.
But if you think that I should
love only you in return,
shepherd boy,
you are easily deceived.

One day Sylvia will choose
a lovely scarlet rose,
the next day she will scorn it
because of its thorn
But I shall not follow
men's advice.
I shall not scorn other flowers
simply because I like lilies.

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Songs of Love: Love's joys and pains: Plaisir D'Amour

The pleasures of love, they last a moment in time, the pain of love last your whole life long.

G. Paul Martini 1741-1816

Sung by Judy Collins

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Songs of Love: The jilted lover: Mozart, Dans un bois solitaire

Imagine walking in a forest and you happen upon cupid. You awaken him and he becomes angry with you for doing so and shoots you in the heart with one of his arrows. This is the premise of this lovely little chanson composed by the young Mozart just after his return home from Paris, (who was madly in love with Aloysia Weber who had recently jilted him). It's one of only two works by Mozart using a French text.

Sung here by soprano Julia Varady.

In a lonely and sombre forest
I walked the other day;
A child slept in the shade,
It was a veritable Cupid.

I approach; his beauty fascinates me.
But I must be careful:
He has the traits of the faithless maiden
Whom I had sworn to forget.

He had lips of ruby,
His complexion was also fresh like hers.
A sigh escapes me and he awakes;
Cupid wakes at nothing.

Immediately opening his wings and seizing
His vengeful bow
And one of his cruel arrows as he parts,
He wounds me to the heart.

"Go!" he says, "Go! At Sylvie's feet
Will you languish anew!
You shall love her all your life,
For having dared awaken me."

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Songs of Love: Love lost, This nearly was mine

Ah, the wonderful pain of a love won and then lost! This song from the Broadway musical, South Pacific expresses the pain and angst, that pain that hurts so good, of a love that was had and lost.

Pauolo Szot sings "This nearly was mine", from Rogers and Hammerstein's South Pacific.

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Songs of Love: Henry Purcell, Sweeter than roses

There's nothing like a love song, whether celebrating the joy of newly-found love or lamenting it's loss, the love song throughout history has expressed this most powerful of human emotions in ways that no other art form can begin to match.

During the month of February when we traditionally don our cupids, break out the red velvet hearts, and indulge our lovers with chocolate and flowers, I thought it might be fun to feature some of my favorite love songs from the classical repertoire starting with this delightful early Baroque piece entitled Sweeter than roses by the English Baroque composer, Henry Purcell, sung here by soprano, Emma Kirkby.

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