All Letters of Music
A – ARIA
Today marks the beginning of our March musical research. Following the letters of the alphabet, our map takes us to the letter A, and it is here that we discover our first musical term – aria! Arias are the most beautiful sections of the opera, sections by which we often remember an operatic piece. They are predominantly performed by main characters, but some of them are also intended for supporting characters. In an aria a singer can demonstrate his or her complete vocal skills and they are generally extremely difficult to perform. They can be lyric or dramatic in character, which also depends on the role of the performer. In an opera, the aria is performed by a male or female opera soloist, accompanied by an orchestra or a smaller musical ensemble. In concerts arias can also be heard accompanied by just a piano.
Identify what you’ve just read in an aria that we have chosen for you. It is an excerpt from the opera “Tosca” by Italian composer Giacomo Puccini. Listen to its concert performance. It is interpreted by soprano Irina Rubtsova, alongside the RTS Symphony Orchestra. Maestro Bojan Sudjic is conducting.
If you haven’t already, join us today in our month of knowledge as a subscriber of the official YouTube channel of RTS Music Production. Follow us from one letter to the other!