Henry Purcell's "When I am laid in Earth," from Act III of Dido and Aeneas, has been named the UK's favorite aria, based on a BBC poll.
The Opera Tattler
Reviews of Performances and their Audiences
Posted in Painfully Absurd
8 responses to “The Favorite Aria of the UK”
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Did the aria have to be in English? This seems awfully parochial … even for BBC Radio 3 listeners
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Could simply be that people like it, or should no English language aria be considered in case it might be seen as being parochial.
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No, it did not have to be in English. I was especially amused, since this is my favorite aria as well. I did not know I was so attuned to the tastes of BBC Radio 3 listeners!
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I also love this mournful aria. To sing it feels much like sighing. Terrifically cathartic. Purcell left us way too soon (just think how many more sad songs he might have written!).
OT, I believe that you are in tune with everyone.LikeLike
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I hate lists, especially as applied to opera & classical music, but I have to say that the BBC3 radio listeners do seem to be an informed bunch. “Nessun dorma” or Carmen are nowhere to be seen, but arias from the Marriage of Figaro, Gluck’s Orfeo & Die Tote Stadt are there. I quite approve of their taste!
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I do try to understand where other people are coming from, but there certainly are pieces of music that many people like that I just don’t find appealing.
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I was surprised too. It is an impressive list.
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Indeed. Thank goodness for the great variety of music!
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