TOSCA — VISSI D’ARTE (TO UGO F. TURCIO)

  Audio Visu­al (video with music track)
 3’16”
 Spring 2016
 some­where between HONG KONG and THE NETHERLANDS

  Video ded­i­cates to dear late good friend, Ugo Francesco Tur­cio (20th Jan­u­ary 1962, Pale­mo, Italy — 10th April 2016, Tilburg, The Nether­lands).
 With sopra­no aria track from Tosca act 2 by Gia­co­mo Puc­ci­ni, sung by Maria Callas as Flo­ria Tosca.

Libret­to

Vis­si d’arte, vis­si d’amore,
non feci mai male ad ani­ma viva!
Con man furti­va
quante mis­erie conob­bi aiu­tai.

Sem­pre con fe’ sin­cera
la mia preghiera
ai san­ti taber­na­coli salì.
Sem­pre con fe’ sin­cera
die­di fiori agli altar.

Nel­l’o­ra del dolore
per­ché, per­ché, Sig­nore,
per­ché me ne rimuneri così?

Die­di gioiel­li del­la Madon­na al man­to,
e die­di il can­to agli astri, al ciel,
che ne ridean più bel­li.
Nel­l’o­ra del dolore,
per­ché, per­ché, Sign­or,
ah, per­ché me ne rimuneri così?

(Eng­lish trans­la­tion)

I lived for art, I lived for love,
I nev­er harmed a liv­ing soul!
With a dis­creet hand
I relieved all mis­for­tunes I encoun­tered.

Always with sin­cere faith
my prayer
rose to the holy taber­na­cles.
Always with sin­cere faith
I dec­o­rat­ed the altars with flow­ers.

In this hour of grief,
why, why, Lord,
why do you reward me thus?

I donat­ed jew­els to the Madon­na’s man­tle,
and offered songs to the stars and heav­en,
which thus shone with more beau­ty.
In this hour of grief,
why, why, Lord,
ah, why do you reward me thus?