“Ebben? Ne andrò lontana” – Alfredo Catalani
by richibi
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a fellow blogger, who’s been inspiring
me with an array of diverse composers,
some obscure to me, others personally
transformational, unearthed a piece of
music recently, on that composer’s
very birthday, that resounds in my
spirit still, through, for me, its signal
interpretation, as though it were very
yesterday
taken the world by storm, a precursor
phenomenon, made the following year
like in “Bladerunner“, the music was
haunting
the antihero had stolen not only
the dress of the sublime soprano
he worshipped, but had also taped
surreptitiously one of her concerts,
something absolutely forbidden
corporations were avid to get a copy
of the tape, and the chase ensues
throughout the streets of Paris,
“The French Connection“, but on
Gallic drugs
a fraught opera, with the heroine
eventually, and her beloved, dying,
separately however, in the same
avalanche, which he’d set off by
calling out, unaware of the sonic
consequences, her name
don’t ask
but at a moment of great despair, in
those very treacherous mountains,
after her father has thrown her out
of the house for wanting one of his
very enemies, the wrong man, she
sings an air that will break your
heart, “Ebben? Ne andrò lontana“,
sings it in the movie, you’ll
quiver, thrill, at her clarity, her
purity, she’s a goddess, you’ll
see why Jules wanted her dress
but listen to Angela Gheorghiu,
as well, bring it up again a few
years later, live in Prague, from
her very “Là fra la neve bianca“,
“There somewhere in the white
snow“, I melted, after which I
became burnt toast, if you’ll
pardon those clashing, however
forcefully compelling, metaphors
nor would I ‘ve minded either her
dress
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