Rondine al nido is a beautiful romance

Romance (music)

The term romance has a centuries-long history. Applied to narrative ballads in Spain, it came to be used by the 18th century for simple lyrical pieces not only for voice, but also for instruments alone. During the 18th and 19th centuries Russian composers developed the French variety of the...

 and one of the best known works of the Italian

Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

 composer Vincenzo de Crescenzo, whose music was in the repertoire of Enrico Caruso, Beniamino Gigli

Beniamino Gigli

Beniamino Gigli was an Italian opera singer. The most famous tenor of his generation, he was renowned internationally for the great beauty of his voice and the soundness of his vocal technique. Music critics sometimes took him to task, however, for what was perceived to be the over-emotionalism...

, Tito Schipa

Tito Schipa

Tito Schipa was an Italian tenor. He is considered one of the finest tenori di grazia in operatic history...

, Giuseppe Di Stefano

Giuseppe Di Stefano

Giuseppe Di Stefano was an Italian operatic tenor who sang professionally from the late 1940s until the early 1990s. He was known as the "Golden voice" or "The most beautiful voice", as the true successor of Beniamino Gigli...

, Richard Tucker

Richard Tucker

Richard Tucker was an American operatic tenor.-Early life:Tucker was born Rivn Ticker in Brooklyn, New York, into a family of Romanian immigrants from Bessarabia. His father, Shmul Ticker, and mother Fanya-Tsipa Ticker had already adopted the surname "Tucker" by the time their son entered first...

, Luciano Pavarotti

Luciano Pavarotti

right|thumb|Luciano Pavarotti performing at the opening of the Constantine Palace in [[Strelna]], 31 May 2003. The concert was part of the celebrations for the 300th anniversary of [[St...

, Ramón Vargas

Ramón Vargas

Ramón Vargas is an award-winning Mexican operatic tenor. Since his debut in the early '90s, he has developed to become one of the most acclaimed tenors of the 21st century. Known for his most expressive and agile lyric tenor voice, he is especially successful in the bel canto...

 among many others. Written by de Crescenzo in the early 20th century (circa 1920), it deals with lost love. While written and performed as a Neapolitan song

Canzone Napoletana

Canzone Napoletana, sometimes referred to as Neapolitan song, is a generic term for a traditional form of music sung in the Neapolitan language, ordinarily for the male voice singing solo, although well-represented by female soloists as well, and expressed in familiar genres such as the lover's...

, but with lyrics in Italian

Italian language

Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...

, it is more like an aria

Aria

An aria in music was originally any expressive melody, usually, but not always, performed by a singer. The term is now used almost exclusively to describe a self-contained piece for one voice usually with orchestral accompaniment...

 of the late Romantic period, requiring the singer high intensity, high notes and an excellent breath control. It begins calmly and lightly, and then it becomes a passionate outburst. The second stanza repeats this scheme. The song is performed in Las Vegas

Las Vegas Strip

The Las Vegas Strip is an approximately stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard in Clark County, Nevada; adjacent to, but outside the city limits of Las Vegas proper. The Strip lies within the unincorporated townships of Paradise and Winchester...

 at the Bellagio

Bellagio (hotel and casino)

Bellagio is a hotel and casino located on the Las Vegas Strip in the Paradise area of unincorporated Clark County, Nevada, USA and a member of The Leading Hotels of the World. It is owned by MGM Resorts International and was built on the site of the demolished Dunes hotel and casino.Inspired by the...

's fountain, which dances to Luciano Pavarotti's version of the song.

Libretto

Every performer interprets the song in his own way and there have been several changes from version to version. The following version is from the booklet of the 1990 album, Carreras Domingo Pavarotti in Concert.
Italian

I

Sotto la gronda de la torre antica
Una rondine amica,
Allo sbocciar del mandorlo è tornata.
Ritorna tutti gli anni,
Sempre alla stessa data,
Monti e mare essa varca
   per tornar.
Solo amore
Quando fugge e va lontano
Speri invano
ma non torna più,
Speri invano
Ma non torna più.



II

Ne la penombra dolce della sera
Passa la primavera.
Cinguettano le rondini nel volo,
Ebbre di luce e d'aria.
Ed io son triste e solo;
Monti e mare tu non varchi
   per tornar.
Mia piccina,
Fosti tutta la mia vita;
Sei fuggita
E non torni più.
Sei fuggita
E non torni più.

Translation in English

I

Under the eaves of the old tower,
as the almond tree blossoms,
a friendly swallow has returned.
Every year she returns,
always in the same day.
She crosses mountains and sea
   to get back here.
Only love flees
and does not return.
It makes you hope in vain,
but it does not return.
It makes you hope in vain,
but it does not return.



II

In the soft twilight of evening
springtime is passing.
The swallows chatter in their flight —
they are drunk with light and air.
But I am sad and lonely.
You do not cross mountains and sea
   to come back to me.
My little one,
You were my whole life,
but you ran away,
never to return.
You ran away,
never to return!

Selected recordings

The following is a selection of recordings that includes "Rondine al nido" sung by some of its most famous interpreters. Recordings are listed in chronological order by year.

Year	Album
1984	Mamma Performers: Luciano Pavarotti Luciano Pavarotti right|thumb|Luciano Pavarotti performing at the opening of the Constantine Palace in [[Strelna]], 31 May 2003. The concert was part of the celebrations for the 300th anniversary of [[St...  (tenor Tenor The tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2... ), Andrea Griminelli (flute Flute The flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening... ) and Henry Mancini Henry Mancini Henry Mancini was an American composer, conductor and arranger, best remembered for his film and television scores. He won a record number of Grammy Awards , plus a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award posthumously in 1995...  (piano Piano The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal... ) Conductor and Ensemble: Henry Mancini and his Chorus and Orchestra Released: 1984; 13 November 2007 (reissue) Recorded: 17–21, 29 January 1984 Gran Casino, Noga Hilton, Geneva Geneva Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland... Label: London London Records London Records, referred to as London Recordings in logo, is a record label headquartered in the United Kingdom, originally marketing records in the United States, Canada and Latin America from 1947 to 1979, then becoming a semi-independent label....  / Decca Decca Records Decca Records began as a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934; however, owing to World War II, the link with the British company was broken for several decades.... Notes: "Rondine al nido" features on track 12.
1990	O Sole Mio Performer: Beniamino Gigli Beniamino Gigli Beniamino Gigli was an Italian opera singer. The most famous tenor of his generation, he was renowned internationally for the great beauty of his voice and the soundness of his vocal technique. Music critics sometimes took him to task, however, for what was perceived to be the over-emotionalism... Conductor: Nathaniel Shilkret Nathaniel Shilkret Nathaniel Shilkret was an American composer, conductor, clarinetist, pianist, business executive, and music director born in New York City, New York to an Austrian immigrant family.-Early career:... Released: 6 March 1990 Label: EMI EMI The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major... Notes: "Rondine al nido" features on track 16.
	Carreras Domingo Pavarotti in Concert Performers: José Carreras José Carreras Josep Maria Carreras i Coll , better known as José Carreras , is a Spanish Catalan tenor particularly known for his performances in the operas of Verdi and Puccini... , Plácido Domingo Plácido Domingo Plácido Domingo KBE , born José Plácido Domingo Embil, is a Spanish tenor and conductor known for his versatile and strong voice, possessing a ringing and dramatic tone throughout its range...  and Luciano Pavarotti Conductor: Zubin Mehta Zubin Mehta Zubin Mehta is an Indian conductor of western classical music. He is the Music Director for Life of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra.-Biography:... Ensembles: Orchestra del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino and Orchestra del Teatro dell'Opera di Roma Released: 1990 Recorded: 7 July 1990 Baths of Caracalla Baths of Caracalla The Baths of Caracalla in Rome, Italy were Roman public baths, or thermae, built in Rome between AD 212 and 216, during the reign of the Emperor Caracalla.- History :... , Rome Rome Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half... Label: Decca Notes: "Rondine al nido" features on track 5 sung by Pavarotti; released in Audio CD and DVD-Video DVD-Video DVD-Video is a consumer video format used to store digital video on DVD discs, and is currently the dominant consumer video format in Asia, North America, Europe, and Australia. Discs using the DVD-Video specification require a DVD drive and a MPEG-2 decoder...  formats.
	Luciano Pavarotti in Concert Performers: Luciano Pavarotti (tenor) and Andrea Griminelli (flute) Conductor: Emerson Buckley Emerson Buckley Emerson Buckley An American Orchestral conductor born in New York City. Buckley graduated from Columbia University in 1934 and made his conducting debut that same year at age 20... Ensemble: Emilia Romagna Arturo Toscanini Symphony Orchestra Released: 25 October 1990 Recorded: 14 August 1985 Piazza Grande, Modena Modena Modena is a city and comune on the south side of the Po Valley, in the Province of Modena in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy.... , Italy Italy Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and... Label: CBS Notes: "Rondine al nido" features on track 7.
1991	Gigli in Song Performer: Beniamino Gigli Released: 9 January 1991 Label: Pearl Notes: "Rondine al nido" features on track 16.
1993	Pavarotti in Central Park Performers: Luciano Pavarotti (tenor) and Andrea Griminelli (flute) Conductor: Leone Magiera Ensembles: Boys Choir of Harlem Boys Choir of Harlem The Boys Choir of Harlem was a choir located in Harlem, New York City, United States. Its last performance was in 2007 and the group folded shortly thereafter due to several controversies, a large budget deficit, and the death of its founder.Founded in 1968 by Dr...  and New York Philharmonic New York Philharmonic The New York Philharmonic is a symphony orchestra based in New York City in the United States. It is one of the American orchestras commonly referred to as the "Big Five"...  members Released: 1993; 7 March 1995 (reissue) Recorded: 26 June 1993 Central Park Central Park Central Park is a public park in the center of Manhattan in New York City, United States. The park initially opened in 1857, on of city-owned land. In 1858, Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux won a design competition to improve and expand the park with a plan they entitled the Greensward Plan... , New York City New York City New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and... Label: Decca Notes: "Rondine al nido" features on track 13; released in Audio CD and DVD-Video formats.
2000	Star Trek: Voyager – Virtuoso Released: 2000; 26 January 2000 Recorded: January 2000 Label: Virtuoso Virtuoso A virtuoso is an individual who possesses outstanding technical ability in the fine arts, at singing or playing a musical instrument. The plural form is either virtuosi or the Anglicisation, virtuosos, and the feminine form sometimes used is virtuosa... Notes: "Rondine al nido" features in UPN's Star Trek: Voyager Star Trek: Voyager Star Trek: Voyager is a science fiction television series set in the Star Trek universe. Set in the 24th century from the year 2371 through 2378, the series follows the adventures of the Starfleet vessel USS Voyager, which becomes stranded in the Delta Quadrant 70,000 light-years from Earth while...  episode "Virtuoso", with voice over by tenor Agostino Castagnola as EMH (The Doctor) portrayed by Robert Picardo Robert Picardo Robert Picardo is an American actor. He is best known for his portrayals of Dr. Dick Richards on ABC's China Beach, the Emergency Medical Hologram , also known as The Doctor, on UPN's Star Trek: Voyager, The Cowboy in Innerspace, Coach Cutlip on The Wonder Years , Ben Wheeler in Wagons East, and as... ."
2001	Neapolitan Café Ensemble: Quartetto Gelato Quartetto Gelato Quartetto Gelato is a Canadian new classical quartet currently composed of Peter DeSotto, Liza McLellan, Alexander Sevastian and Colin Maier, and based in Toronto, Ontario... Released: 2001; 22 November 2005 (reissue) Label: Linus Entertainment Linus Entertainment Linus Entertainment is a record label based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.The company was started by Geoff Kulawick, who previously was vice president of A&R at Virgin Records/EMI Music Canada.... Notes: "Rondine al nido" features on track 12.
2005	Favourite Flavors Performers: Peter De Sotto (tenor), Cynthia Steljes (oboe Oboe The oboe is a double reed musical instrument of the woodwind family. In English, prior to 1770, the instrument was called "hautbois" , "hoboy", or "French hoboy". The spelling "oboe" was adopted into English ca... ), Joseph Macerollo (accordion Accordion The accordion is a box-shaped musical instrument of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone family, sometimes referred to as a squeezebox. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist.... ) and George Meanwell (cello Cello The cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is... ) Ensemble: Quartetto Gelato Released: 8 November 2005 Label: Koch Notes: "Rondine al nido" features on track 7 arranged by Shelly Berger.