Legendary Italian tenor Luciano Pavarotti sings Fra poco a me ricovero, a tenor aria from Lucia di Lammermoor, a dramma tragico (tragic opera) in three acts by Italian composer Gaetano Donizetti. Recorded during the 1990 FIFA World Cup presentation concert in Milan at the Palatrussardi. Conductor: Leone Magiera.
This Milan concert is particularly remembered for Pavarotti’s rendition of “Nessun Dorma” from Puccini’s opera “Turandot.” This performance further solidified his status as a leading figure in the opera world and brought classical music to a broader audience during the World Cup festivities.
Fra poco a me ricovero
The aria “Fra poco a me ricovero” is from Gaetano Donizetti’s opera “Lucia di Lammermoor,” sung in Italian by the tenor character, Sir Edgardo di Ravenswood. This aria appears in Act 3, Scene 12 of the opera.
In this aria, Edgardo, devastated by the perceived betrayal and loss of his beloved Lucia, expresses his profound grief and despair. He laments over his family’s tomb, reflecting on his life’s hardships and the absence of Lucia, which has turned the world into a desolate place for him.
The aria is a poignant moment in the opera, revealing Edgardo’s intense emotional turmoil and his resolution to seek solace in death. The text conveys his sense of abandonment and his plea for at least the respect of his ashes after his death, as he feels even the comfort afforded to the dead is denied to him.
“Fra poco a me ricovero” is a significant piece in the tenor repertoire, demanding both vocal prowess and deep emotional interpretation, as it encapsulates the tragic essence of the character and the opera’s dramatic climax.
Fra poco a me ricovero lyrics [text]
Italian
Tombe degli avi miei, l’ ultimo avanzo
D’ una stirpe infelice
Deh’! raccogliete voi. – Cessò dell’ ira
Il breve foco… sul nemico acciaro
Abbandonar mi vo’. Per me la vita
E’ orrendo peso!… l’universo intero
E’ un deserto per me senza Lucia!…
Di liete faci ancora
Splende il castello! Ah! scarsa
Fu la notte al tripudio! Ingrata donna!
Mentr’ io mi struggo in disperato pianto
Tu ridi, esulti accanto
Al felice consorte!
Tu delle gioje in seno, io… della morte!
Frà poco a me ricovero
Darà negletto avello…
Una pietosa lagrima
Non scorrerà sù quello!
Fin degli estinti, ahi misero!
Manca il conforto a me!
Tù pur, tù pur dimentica
Quel marmo dispregiato.
Mai non passarvi, o barbara,
Del tuo consorte a lato…
Rispetta almen le cene
English translation
Tombs of my fathers,
last son of an unhappy race,
receive me, I implore you. My anger’s
brief fire is quenched…I will fall on
my foe’s sword. For me, life
is a horrible burden! The whole universe
is a desert for me without Lucia!
Yet the castle
gleams with torches…Ah, the night
was too short for the revels! Heartless jade!
While I pine away in hopeless tears,
you laugh and gloat
by your happy consort’s side!
You amid joys, I near to death!
Soon this neglected tomb
will give me refuge.
A compassionate tear
will not fall upon it…ah!
Alas, for wretched me not even
the solace of the dead.
You too, forget
that despised marble tombstone!
Never visit it, o cruel one,
by your husband’s side.
Ah, respect at least the ashes
of him who dies for you,
etc.
Never visit it,
forget it exists,
respect at least the one who died for you,
etc.
Oh, cruel one! Respect,
etc.
(A train of mourners comes from Lammermoor Castle)
Sources
- Lucia di Lammermoor on Wikipedia
- Fra poco a me ricovero lyrics (text) on the Opera Arias website
