American opera singer and soprano Renée Fleming and the legendary Spanish tenor Plácido Domingo perform Love Duet from Act I of Otello, an 1887 opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by the Italian poet, journalist, novelist, librettist and composer Arrigo Boito (24 February 1842 – 10 June 1918), based on William Shakespeare’s play Othello (believed to have been written in 1603). The video below is from a 1995 Metropolitan Opera production.

Verdi: Otello, Act 1″Già nella notte densa”(Love Duet) -Domingo, Fleming 2001

Italian Libretto

OTELLO
Già nella notte densa
S’estingue ogni clamore.
Già il mio cor fremebondo
S’ammansa in quest’amplesso e si rinsensa.
Tuoni la guerra e s’inabissi il mondo
Se dopo l’ira immensa
Vien quest’immenso amor!

DESDEMONA

Mio superbo guerrier! quanti tormenti,
Quanti mesti sospire et quanta speme
Ci condusse ai soavi abbracciamenti!
Oh! com’è dolce il mormorare insieme:
Te ne rammenti?

Quando narravi l’esule tua vita
E i fieri eventi e i lunghi tuoi dolor,
Ed io t’udia coll’anima rapita
In quei spaventi e coll’estasi nel cor.

OTELLO

Pingea dell’armi il fremito, la pugna
E il vol gagliardo alla breccia mortal,
L’assalto, orribil edera, coll’ugna
Al baluardo e il siblante stral.

DESDEMONA

Poi mi guidavi ai fulgidi deserti
All’arse arene, al tuo materno suol,
Narravi allor gli spasimi sofferti
E le catene e dello schiavo il duol.

OTELLO

Ingentilìa di lacrime la storia
Il tuo bel viso e il labbro di sospir;
Scendean sulle mie tenebre la gloria,
Il paradiso e gli astri a benedir.

DESDEMONA

Ed io vedea fra le tue tempie oscure
Splender del genio l’eterea beltà.

OTELLO

E tu m’amavi per le mie sventure
Ed io t’amavo per la tua pietà.

DESDEMONA

Ed io t’amavo per le tue sventure
E tu m’avai per la mia pietà.

OTELLO

Venga la morte! mi colga nell’estasi
Di quest’amplesso
Il momento supremo!

(Il cielo si sarà tutto rasserenato;
si vedranno alcune stelle e sul lembo
dell’orizzonte il riflesso ceruleo
della nascente luna.)
Tale è il gaudio dell’anima che temo,
Temo che più non mi sarà concesso
Quest’attimo divino
Nell’ignoto avvenir del mio destino.

DEDESMONA

Disperda il ciel gli affanni
E Amor non muti col mutar degl’anni.

OTELLO

A questa tua preghiera
Amen risponda la celeste schiera.

DESDEMONA

Amen risponda.

OTELLO (appoggiandosi ad un
rialzodegli spaldi)
Ah! la gioia m’innonda
Sì fieramente … che ansante mi giacio …
Un bacio …

DESDEMONA

Otello!

OTELLO

Un bacio … ancora un bacio.
(alzandosi e mirando il cielo)
Già la pleaide ardente in mar discende.

DEDESMONA

Tarda è la notte.

OTELLO

Vien … Venere splende.

DESDEMONA

Otello!

(S’avviano abbracciati verso il castello.)

English Translation

OTHELLO
Now in the dark night
Is silenced every noise.
Now my throbbing heart
Is lulled in this embrace and quieted.
Let war thunder and the world be engulfed
If after infinite wrath
Comes this infinite love!

DESDEMONA

My proud warrior! How many torments,
How many sad sighs and how much hope
Have led us to these sweet embraces!
Oh! How it is sweet to murmur together:
Do you remember?

When you recounted the exile of your life
And of daring deeds and your long suffering
And I listened, with soul rapt
In those terrors, and with ecstasy in my heart.

OTHELLO

I told of the clash of arms, the battle
And the valiant rush into the mortal breach,
The assault, clinging like ivy with out nails
On the rampart, and the whistling arrow.

DESDEMONA

Then you led me to the shining deserts,
To the burning sands, to your mother soil;
And told me of the torments suffered,
And the chains and grief of slavery.

OTHELLO

Ennobling my story with your tears
On your lovely face, and your lips with sighs
There settled on my darkness glory,
Paradise, and the stars to bless.

DESDEMONA

And I saw from your dark temples
The eternal beauty of your spirit shine.

OTHELLO

And you loved me for my misfortunes
And I loved you that you did pity them.

DESDEMONA

And I loved you for your misfortunes
And you loved me that I did pity them.

OTHELLO

Let death come! Taking me in the ecstasy
Of this embrace
The supreme moment!

(The sky is now clear. Stars are visible
and, on the rim of the horizon, the blue
reflection of the rising moon.)

Such is my soul’s joy that I am afraid.
I fear that I wll never again be granted
This divine moment
In the unknown future of my destiny.

DESDEMONA

May heaven drive away all care
And Love not change with changing years.

OTHELLO

To this prayer of yours
May the heavenly host answer Amen.

DESDEMONA

May it answer Amen.

OTHELLO (leaning against a step
of the ramparts)
Ah! Joy enuglfs me.
So fiercly … that I lie, breathless …
A kiss …

DESDEMONA

Othello! …

OTHELLO

A kiss … another kiss,
(rising and looking at the sky)
The burning Pleiades already sink into the sea.

DESDEMONA

Late is the night.

OTHELLO

Come … Venus is shining.

DESDEMONA

Othello!

(Embracing, they go slowly toward the castle.)

Sources

  • Verdi: from Otello, Love Duet from Act I on UCDavis.edu
M. Özgür Nevres

Published by M. Özgür Nevres

I am Özgür Nevres, a software engineer, a former road racing cyclist, and also an amateur musician. I opened andantemoderato.com to share my favorite music. I also take care of stray cats & dogs. This website's all income goes directly to our furry friends. Please consider supporting me on Patreon, so I can help more animals!

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