Classical Aria for Ceremony

spenet1

I want my vocalist (soprano) to sing a beautiful aria-type song during the ceremony. All the ones I know or have googled are death songs! They certainly are the most beautiful in their respective operas, but it's the pain of loss, separation, etc. Any suggestions for a romantic song?? Preferably in a foreign language, but I know there are some good English ones out there too. THANK YOU!

sister2groom

Talk to your vocalist, she might know better than you, but more importantly she'll know better than you what she can sing.

ceyring

How about "Deh vieni non tardar" from Le Nozze di Figaro?

ceyring

I wouldn't call "Mon coeur s'ouvre a ta voix" church appropriate, as it is quite sexually explicit.  

AnnaW11

I personally like "Ma rendi pur contento" by Bellini more than "Deh vieni non tardar." While by far not the foremost singer in our music dept, I found Deh vieni to be extremely difficult to breathe and do phrasing, something that far more talented singers than I also commented on about that aria. To me, that might not put it at the top of my list for songs to do live at a wedding, but others are free to disagree.

I worked on "ma rendi" this past semester and thought it was particularly beautiful. I think it might also be appropriate for a ceremony as it discusses the joy found in another, and self-sacrificing love, plus it is also shorter than a lot of opera arias which is likely a plus. If you are looking for romantic arias, I love Bellini's understanding of the voice and the way he accompanies it. Just some suggestions .

soprano19

I personally love "Widmung" by Robert Schumann... he wrote it for Clara, his wife, for their wedding. It's absolutely beautiful. Here's the German text and the English translation:

Du meine Seele, du mein Herz, Du meine Wonn', o du mein Schmerz, Du meine Welt, in der ich lebe, Mein Himmel du, darin ich schwebe, O du mein Grab, in das hinab Ich ewig meinen Kummer gab! Du bist die Ruh, du bist der Frieden, Du bist der Himmel, mir beschieden. Daß du mich liebst, macht mich mir wert, Dein Blick hat mich vor mir verklärt, Du hebst mich liebend über mich, Mein guter Geist, mein beßres Ich!You my soul, you my heart, you my bliss, o you my pain, you the world in which I live; you my heaven, in which I float, o you my grave, into which I eternally cast my grief. You are rest, you are peace, you are bestowed upon me from heaven. That you love me makes me worthy of you; your gaze transfigures me; you raise me lovingly above myself, my good spirit, my better self!