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Keywords:
aria (2), opera (13), menotti (1), emily rohm (10), piano (572), vocal (144), classical (360)
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Description:
Classical is not the right genre for this, but there is no "contmporary opera" genre! This is a beautiful and haunting aria from the American opera, The Medium, by Gian Carlo Menotti.
This is a live performance. I was selected to sing at my university's commencement concert, and I chose this song. The character in the song is a young woman, Monica, who lives with her con-artist mother. Her mother is a "psychic medium" and Monica is put to work pretending to be a ghost for her mothers customers. Toby, a young orphan boy (who is mute) also lives and works with them. In this scene, Monica is playing with Toby and acts out a love story between them. She imagines what he wishes to say to her and so her dialogue speaks as both characters. It is full of playful innocence, and yet is so heartbreaking. The last line of the song is so touching...
My accompanist is one of my good friends from college, Kerry Hart. Since it is performed live on a large stage, the volume level is low and I'm a bit far from the mic on the ceiling, so turn it up!
The picture is of me and my husband performing in another show at Lawrence University. (I'm the blonde in the yellow... )
Lyrics:
Bravo! And after the theatre, supper and dance.
Music! Ooom pah pah, oom pah pah...
Up in the sky, someone is playing a trombone and a guitar.
Red is your tie, and in your velveteen coat, you hide a star.
Monica, Monica, dance the waltz
Monica, Monica, dance the waltz
Follow me, moon and sun
Keep time with me, one two three one.
If you're not shy, pin up my hair with your star and buckle my shoe.
And when you fly, please hold on tight to my waist
I'm flying with you, oh...
Monica, Monica, dance the waltz
Monica, Monica, dance the waltz
Follow me, moon and sun
Follow me, follow follow me
Follow me, follow follow me.
What is the matter, Toby?
What is it you want to tell me?
Kneel down before me.
And now tell me...
Monica monica, can't you see
that my heart is bleeding, bleeding for you?
I loved you Monica all my life
with all my breath, with all my blood.
You haunt the mirror of my sleep, you are my night.
You are my light and the jailer of my day.
How dare you scoundrel talk to me like that!
Don't you know who I am?
I'm the queen of Aroundel!
I shall have you put in chains!
You are my princess, you are my queen
and I'm only Toby, one of your slaves.
And still I love you and always loved you
with all my breath, with all my blood!
I love your laughter, I love your hair.
I love your deep and nocturnal eyes.
I love your soft hands, so white and winged.
I love the slender branch of your throat.
Toby! Don't speak to me like that...
You make my head swim.
Monica, Monica, fold me in your satin gown.
Monica, Monica, give me your mouth
Monica, Monica, fall in my arms!
Why, Toby... You're not crying, are you?
Toby, I want you to know... that you have the most beautiful voice... in the world.
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Sounds like... &mdash 01/09/06 - 10:52:17 AM
...quite a show.
And if you look as good on stage as you sound, then it 'must' be quite the
show.
Great! [ Reply to This ]
Sounds like... &mdash 01/09/06 - 11:25:27 AM
Awesome! &mdash 01/09/06 - 11:32:55 AM
Your friend has a very good voice and this is quite a treat. I bet some of you must have rubbed off on her.
Thanks for sharing,
John [ Reply to This ]
Awesome! &mdash 01/09/06 - 11:39:05 AM
No, John, that's me singing!! Glad you liked it!
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I don't have a clever signature. [ Reply to This ]
Awesome! &mdash 01/09/06 - 11:54:39 AM
Awesome! &mdash 01/09/06 - 11:54:51 AM
And my friend Kerry is my pianist.
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I don't have a clever signature. [ Reply to This ]
Awesome! &mdash 01/09/06 - 11:56:43 AM
Brilliant! &mdash 01/09/06 - 01:35:57 PM
This is not an easy aria to sing!
You've done a beautiful job with it--interpretation and peformance.
Your voice is perfect for this...just perfect.
Wonderful! Thank you for posting it here!
[ Reply to This ]
This is an unusual offering for MacJams &mdash 01/09/06 - 06:42:32 PM
but very beautiful! You not only have a beautiful voice, but stamina, as
well. The classical genre here will have to do for music of this nature, but
I'm glad you posted it in classical, or I would have probably missed it.
Is this picture from a recent production at Lawrence? I took my M.M.E.
Choral conducting classes from Rick Bjella, and was in some of my Kodly
and Solfege levels with Brigetta. Small world. [ Reply to This ]
This is an unusual offering for MacJams &mdash 01/09/06 - 11:14:55 PM
Wow!! I knew you were talented for a reason! *wink*. Bjella was my choir
director and I think I took sightsinging with Brigetta... Blocked out
sightsinging- bad memories of a constant struggle... Thanks for listening to a
long aria!
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I don't have a clever signature. [ Reply to This ]
Okay, here it is... &mdash 01/11/06 - 12:04:01 AM
This is excellent, absolutely brilliant! I love the piece, even though the recording sort of lessens the impact, we miss the dynamics of your performance, and thusly, the brilliance of your performance is left to the imagination.
This is wonderful, wonderful, it's on my iPod.
Now, here's what I have to say - your voice is exceptional, but it's more technique than emotion, and on some of these lines, a more rooted approach is necessary to wring the emotions out of an audience. Can you sing? Oh hell yes! No doubt, no doubt. Can you emote? Yes, absolutely, yes, you can wring tears from the most jaded, I"m thinking. But in this performance - the median seems to be embraced - the technical is there, and the emotion is there, but as it is said, these twain do not truly meet, and maybe that comes from pressure, pressure. But you're not alone in your stake, in your quest to push this emotion out there for the world to take, and it's incredible, once again - so well done, the recording doesn't do the performance justice, because we lose the dynamics of your voice - a formidable instrument indeed. You are in the same company as Sarah Brightman - and yet, the drama needed to turn this from brilliant singing into dramatic conflict needs to be looked after, and I have no doubt that once you marry the two worlds of technique and torture - the world's best music will come springing out of you in waves. Be encouraged and key into the humanity of everything you sing. Much love - this one goes on my iPod... [ Reply to This ]
Okay, here it is... &mdash 01/11/06 - 09:19:28 AM
Thanks for your thorough listen! I appreciate your comments and ideas. It's
great to hear for once that I have more technique than emotion (at least on
one song...) since at LU I was known for having more heart than technique...!
That's why I ended up majoring in Music Theatre rather than Vocal
Performance. I was always pulled in two very separate directions from the
theatre department and the voice department. (Each group thinks their ideas
are the most important, of course!) So I can understand how you can hear
that in my performance. It is quite an art to find the happy medium in opera,
and I guess I'm still working on it. Thanks again!
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I don't have a clever signature. [ Reply to This ]
Stunning &mdash 01/21/06 - 08:59:28 AM
Too soft &mdash 02/06/06 - 09:48:09 PM
I think that I prefer your version to to the other girl that just finished HS. I think the tempo is better, you don't seem rushed. However it's too soft! I have my computer turned up & I still can't hear it clearly. When I get enough points, I will put my daughters version of the song up. It is nice to compare voices. You have a beautiful voice. ;)
[ Reply to This ]
Wow &mdash 02/10/06 - 12:13:58 AM
That was amazing. I got so caught up in your performance and the
beauty of your voice set against the playfullness and drama of the
song. "...fall in my arms" gave me goosebumps (quite literally, actually)
and the ending, well, by gosh by golly that's a wonderful song and you
are a fantastic singer. [ Reply to This ]
Wow &mdash 02/10/06 - 10:27:03 PM
Thanks so much, Joanna. I'm really gald you enjoyed it. You are so sweet.
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I don't have a clever signature. [ Reply to This ]
e m i l y!! &mdash 03/08/06 - 09:34:11 AM
You have an exquisite voice. The levels are low, but I can still hear the
impeccable quality of your voice. Just lovely. Really stunning. And you
are such a pretty girl! I'm so glad to find you at macjams--kelli
[ Reply to This ]
This is &mdash 04/16/06 - 07:24:29 PM
how did I miss this &mdash 04/27/06 - 01:51:01 PM
wow, does this really show off your singing abilities.
Breathtaking, Emily what great singing. I can see you making those
costumes when you should be the singer in those costumes. Really!
Life has it way of being unfair sometimes.
Hope only the musical BEST for you Emily! You deserve it. Your that good. [ Reply to This ]
my gosh wow &mdash 04/27/06 - 01:57:42 PM
I just heard Monica's Waltz for the first time. I don't know how I missed
this but I guess I did.
Your singing is so incredibly powerful. Hope the powers that be give you
a break. A big break with that whopper of a voice.
When I hear you singing a rock pop song. I think there is a superwomen
singing. Like Clark Kent when he is reporter and then turns to superman.
It your terminology it would be like Lous Lane turing into Superwoman!
[ Reply to This ]
levels are to low &mdash 07/09/06 - 03:32:50 PM
You have an excellent voice.
The quality of your voice i wonderful. Just lovely.
Have to hear more from you..
greetings from Portugal [ Reply to This ]
Nice one &mdash 01/10/07 - 01:09:32 AM
Here's to contemporary opera &mdash 11/22/07 - 03:37:32 PM
Very nice performance.
You're talent aplenty. I look fwd to hearing more work, and for more venues for this music.
Glad I found your page [ Reply to This ]
Wowy! &mdash 02/27/08 - 12:03:48 AM
What a soprano! Hubby sings too? He looks like Russel Crowe. I am a sucker for folk who can really sing ("...in the worrlllllld" could she hold that note any longer, WOW~!).
Just wonderful!
Stephen [ Reply to This ]
Great! &mdash 06/03/08 - 02:58:21 AM
wow... &mdash 06/10/08 - 08:26:15 PM
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And if you look as good on stage as you sound, then it 'must' be quite the
show.
Great!
[ Reply to This ]