Apres un reve (1878) is one of Faure's most popular songs, a longing for dreams of a mysterious night, and an elusive, ecstatic love that withers in the light of day.
The instrumental song-without-words omits the text by Romain Bussine, who adapted an anonymous Italian poem. Faure's Papillon was published
in 1898, but commissioned fourteen years earlier. This short encore piece oscillates between virtuosic moto perpetuo writing, the butterfly wings flapping in flight, and a soaring melody in the cello accompanied by a descending bass line in the piano.
Puccini wrote Nessun Dorma for Turandot (1926), his last, unfinished opera, eventually completed by Franco Alfano . Special about the music of Turandot is Puccini's use of techniques from grand opera, as well as his chinoiseries.
In Nessun Dorma, Calaf expresses his conviction that he will overcome, and that Turandot will eventually love him. The orchestra paints the nocturnal atmosphere with wave-like movements in the strings, while the vocal melody gradually prepares the rise to a euphoric high b: one of the most feared, yet also most rewarding notes of the tenor repertoire.
Writer: Kasper van Kooten