American operatic tenor Bryan Hymel (born 8 August 1979) sings “Asile héréditaire” from Gioachino Rossini’s opera “William Tell” (French: Guillaume Tell, Italian: Guglielmo Tell). Live recording of the premiere of Guillaume Tell at the Bayerische Staatsoper on June 28, 2014.
William Tell (French: Guillaume Tell, Italian: Guglielmo Tell) is an opera in four acts by Gioachino Rossini, with a French libretto by Étienne de Jouy and Hippolyte Bis based on Friedrich Schiller’s play William Tell, which drew on the William Tell legend. “Asile héréditaire” is a tenor aria sung by Arnold Melchtal, from the fourth act.
Bryan Hymel
One of the opera world’s fastest-rising stars, Bryan Hyme was born and raised in New Orleans. He came to the attention of opera houses at the age of 19, when he was a winner in the Verdi Aria Competition at the Aspen Music Festival in Aspen, Colorado.
A year later he was a grand finalist in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, where he was the youngest participant, and he received an encouragement grant from the George London Foundation for Singers.
After graduating from Loyola University New Orleans with a Bachelor’s degree in Vocal Performance, he participated in the Merola Opera Program at the San Francisco Opera. Following his time there he attended the prestigious Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia, where he was further able to hone his craft.
He made his professional debut in 1998 as the Philistine messenger in Samson et Dalila with the New Orleans Opera, a company where he has performed many roles, including Arturo in Lucia di Lammermoor, Luigi in Il tabarro, and Rinuccio in Gianni Schicchi.
After his hometown debut, Hymel sang Tamino in Die Zauberflöte and the Duke in Rigoletto with Opera Grand Rapids. He made his European debut in 2007 at the Wexford Festival Opera, performing the role of the Prince in Dvorak’s Rusalka. Later that year he made his New York recital debut with Michelle DeYoung under the sponsorship of the George London Foundation.
He has also sung at Carnegie Hall with the Opera Orchestra of New York in a gala concert honoring the 100th performance thereof Eve Queler that also featured Renée Fleming, Marcello Giordani, and Dolora Zajick.
Hymel is the winner of the 2013 Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in Opera for his trio of performances in Les Troyens, Robert le diable, and Rusalka at London’s Royal Opera House.
The New York Times praised his “unflagging stamina and impetuous abandon” during his 2012 Metropolitan Opera debut as Énée in Les Troyens, for which he was presented with the Metropolitan Opera’s Beverly Sills Artist Award. In 2014 Hymel became an exclusive recording artist for Warner Classics, with his first solo album set to debut in 2015.
Asile héréditaire lyrics
French
Asile héréditaire,
Où mes yeux s’ouvrirent au jour,
Hier encore, ton abri tutélaire
Offrait un père à mon amour.
J’appelle en vain, douleur amère !
J’appelle en vain, douleur amère !
J’appelle, il n’entend plus ma voix !
J’appelle, il n’entend plus ma voix !
Murs chéris qu’habitait mon père,
Je viens vous voir pour la dernière fois !
Je viens vous voir, etc.
Asile héréditaire,
Où mes yeux s’ouvrirent au jour,
Murs chéris qu’habitait mon père,
Je viens vous voir pour la dernière fois !
Je viens vous voir, etc.
CHŒUR DES CONFÉDÉRÉS
Vengeance ! Vengeance !
ARNOLD
Quel espoir…j’entends dés cris d’alarmes.
CONFÉDÉRÉS
Vengeance ! Vengeance !
ARNOLD
Ce sont mes compagnons, je les vois
accourir.
CONFÉDÉRÉS
Guillaume est prisonnier et nous sommes sans armes !
Nous voulons tous le secourir.
Des armes ! des armes ! et nous saurons mourir.
Des armes !
ARNOLD
Dès longtemps, Guillaume et mon père
Ont prévu l’heure des combats :
Sous le rocher, au fond du chalet solitaire,
Courez armer vos bras, courez armer vos bras !
CONFÉDÉRÉS
Courons armer nos bras !
Courons armer nos bras ! Courons !
ARNOLD
Plus de crainte inutile,
Plus d’alarme stérile :
Gessler, tu périras !
Pour toi, qui prives ma tendresse
De mon père et de ma maîtresse,
Est-ce assez que le trépas,
Est-ce assez que le trépas ?
CONFÉDÉRÉS (en rentrant)
Melchthal, que ton espoir renaisse,
Melchthal, que ton espoir renaisse !
Enfin le glaive arme nos bras, etc.
Melchthal, Melchthal –
ARNOLD
Amis, amis, secondez ma vengeance.
Si notre chef est dans les fers,
C’est à nous qu’appartient sa défense ;
D’Altdorf les chemins sont ouverts.
D’Altdorf les chemins sont ouverts.
Suivez moi ! suivez moi !
d’un monstre perfide
Trompons l’espérance homicide,
Trompons l’espérance homicide ;
Arrachons Guillaume à ses coups !
Arrachons Guillaume à ses coups !
CONFÉDÉRÉS
D’un tyran cruel et perfide,
Trompons l’espérance homicide !
ARNOLD
Aux combats !
CONFÉDÉRÉS
Cette tâche est digne de nous !
Cette tâche est digne de nous !
ARNOLD
Aux combats !
CONFÉDÉRÉS
Trompons l’espérance homicide,
Cette tâche est digne de nous.
Suivons-le, aux combats,
Suivons-le, aux combats.
ARNOLD
Suivez-moi, sur mes pas,
Aux combats, ou victoire ou trépas !
CONFÉDÉRÉS
Melchthal ! Melchthal !
ARNOLD
Amis, amis, secondez ma vengeance,
Si notre chef est dans les fers,
C’est à nous qu’appartient sa défense !
D’Altdorf les chemins sont ouverts,
D’Altdorf les chemins sont ouverts,
Suivez-moi.
CONFÉDÉRÉS
D’Altdorf les chemins sont ouverts,
Suivons-le…
ARNOLD
Suivez-moi !
CONFÉDÉRÉS
Suivons-le !
ARNOLD
D’un monstre perfide
Trompons l’espérance homicide,
Arrachons Guillaume à ses coups ! etc.
CONFÉDÉRÉS
D’un tyran cruel et perfide
Trompons l’espérance homicide,
Cette tâche est digne de nous ! etc.
ARNOLD
Sur mes pas…
CONFÉDÉRÉS
Sur ses pas…
ARNOLD
…Aux combats…
CONFÉDÉRÉS
…Aux combats…
ARNOLD
…Ou victoire…
CONFÉDÉRÉS
…Ou victoire…
ARNOLD
…Ou trépas !
CONFÉDÉRÉS
…Ou trépas !
ARNOLD
Trompons l’espérance homicide,
Arrachons Guillaume à ses coups ! etc.
CONFÉDÉRÉS
Oui, cette tâche est digne de nous !
Oui, d’un tyran cruel et perfide
Trompons l’espérance homicide,
Cette tâche est digne de nous ! etc.
ARNOLD
Sur mes pas…
CONFÉDÉRÉS
Sur ses pas…
ARNOLD
…Aux combats…
CONFÉDÉRÉS
…Aux combats…
ARNOLD
…Ou victoire…
CONFÉDÉRÉS
…Ou victoire…
ARNOLD
…Ou trépas !
CONFÉDÉRÉS
…Ou trépas !
ARNOLD
Trompons l’espérance homicide,
Arrachons, arrachons Guillaume à ses coups!
Aux armes ! aux armes ! aux armes !
CONFÉDÉRÉS
Oui, cette tâche est digne de nous,
Cette tâche est digne de nous ! etc.
English translation
Ancestral home
where my eyes opened to the light of day,
only yesterday your protective shelter
offered a father to my love.
I call in vain, o bitter grief!
I call in vain, o bitter grief!
I call, he no longer hears my voice!
I call, he no longer hears my voice!
Beloved walls within which my father dwelt,
I come to see you for the last time!
I come to see you, etc.
Ancestral home
where my eyes opened to the light of day,
beloved walls within which my father dwelt,
I come to see you for the last time!
I come to see you, etc.
CHORUS OF SWISS CONFEDERATES
Vengeance! Vengeance!
ARNOLD
What hope…I hear alarm-cries.
CONFEDERATES
Vengeance! Vengeance!
ARNOLD
These are my companions, I see them hurrying
this way.
CONFEDERATES
William is a prisoner and we are without weapons!
We all want to help him.
Arms, give us arms, and we shall know how to die.
Give us arms!
ARNOLD
William and my father long since
foresaw the hour for battle:
under the rock, at the back of the lonely chalet,
run and arm yourselves, run and arm yourselves!
CONFEDERATES
Let’s run and arm ourselves!
Let’s run and arm ourselves! Hurry!
ARNOLD
No more needless fear,
no more sterile alarm;
Gessler, you shall perish!
For you, who deprive my love
of my father and my mistress,
is death enough,
is death enough?
CONFEDERATES (returning)
Melchthal, let your hope revive,
Melchthal, let your hope revive!
At last we have swords to arm us, etc.
Melchthal, Melchthal –
ARNOLD
Friends, friends, assist my vengeance.
If our leader is in fetters
it is to us his defence belongs;
the roads to Altdorf are open,
the roads to Altdorf are open.
Follow me! Follow me!
Let us cheat the murderous hope
of a treacherous monster,
let us cheat his murderous hope;
let us wrest William from his blows!
Let us wrest William from his blows!
CONFEDERATES
Let us cheat the murderous hope
of a cruel and treacherous tyrant!
ARNOLD
Into battle!
CONFEDERATES
This task is worthy of us!
This task is worthy of us!
ARNOLD
Into battle!
CONFEDERATES
Let us cheat the murderous hope,
this task is worthy of us.
Let us follow him, into battle.
Let us follow him, into battle.
ARNOLD
Follow me, after me,
into battle, either victory or death!
CONFEDERATES
Melchthal! Melchthal!
ARNOLD
Friends, friends, assist my vengeance,
if our leader is in fetters
it is to us his defence belongs!
The roads to Altdorf are open,
the roads to Altdorf are open,
follow me.
CONFEDERATES
The roads to Altdorf are open,
let us follow him…
ARNOLD
Follow me!
CONFEDERATES.
Let’s follow him!
ARNOLD
Let us cheat the murderous hope
of a treacherous monster,
let us wrest William from his blows! etc.
CONFEDERATES
Let us cheat the murderous hope
of a cruel and treacherous tyrant,
this task is worthy of us! etc.
ARNOLD
After me…
CONFEDERATES
After him…
ARNOLD
…into battle…
CONFEDERATES
…into battle…
ARNOLD
…either victory…
CONFEDERATES
…either victory…
ARNOLD
…or death!
CONFEDERATES
…or death!
ARNOLD
Let us cheat the murderous hope,
let us wrest William from his blows! etc.
CONFEDERATES
Yes, this task is worthy of us!
Yes, let us cheat the murderous hope
of a cruel and treacherous tyrant,
this task is worthy of us! etc.
ARNOLD
After me…
CONFEDERATES
After him…
ARNOLD
…into battle…
CONFEDERATES
…into battle…
ARNOLD
…either victory…
CONFEDERATES
…either victory…
ARNOLD
…or death!
CONFEDERATES
…or death!
ARNOLD
Let us cheat the murderous hope,
let us wrest William from his blows!
To arms! To arms! To arms!
CONFEDERATES
Yes, this task is worthy of us,
this task is worthy of us! etc.
Sources
- William Tell on Wikipedia
- Bryan Hymel on Wikipedia
- bryanhymel.com
- Lyrics from murashev.com
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