As we enjoy a day of giving thanks with friends and family, Evans Mirageas, Cincinnati Opera’s Harry T. Wilks Artistic Director, shares his top 5 favorite songs for cooking, eating, gathering, and extending gratitude.
From Evans:
1: Mozart: “Nehmt meinem Dank” K. 383
Mozart wrote for his friends, and this little aria is a song of thanks from a soprano (Aloysia Weber) to her faithful public. Ms. Weber sang Donna Anna in Mozart’s first production of Don Giovanni.
2: Attrib. Handel/Ochs: “Dank sei dir Herr”
Although attributed to George Frideric Handel, this simple song of thanksgiving was most likely written by the 19th-century German composer Siegfried Ochs. No matter; it praises the deity for protecting all mankind in times of adversity.
3: Bock/Harnick: “Sabbath Prayer” from Fiddler on the Roof
There are many meals portrayed in opera and musical theater. We’ll have two on stage this summer. The guests at Violetta’s party in Act One of La Traviata have supper while Violetta falls in love with Alfredo before our eyes. Also, Don Giovanni ends with a disastrous banquet with the host being dragged to hell! But my personal favorite meal is the Sabbath supper portrayed in Fiddler on the Roof.
4: Schubert: “An die Musik”
This is a song of thanks not to food or to a holiday but to music itself. Simple in the extreme, these verses set by Franz Schubert say everything we love about music and its powers.
You lovely art, in how many gray hours,
Where I was stricken by life
You ignited my heart with love,
You brought me to a better world,
Brought me to a better world!
Often a sigh, that left your harp,
A sweet, holy chord from you,
Has shown me the existence of a better time
You lovely art, I thank you for it,
You lovely art, I thank you!
5: Copland: “The Promise of Living” from The Tender Land
Last but not least is the finale to Act One of Aaron Copland’s only full-length opera. It’s as American as apple pie and as universal as the sentiment of giving thanks for those simple gifts to which we all aspire.