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Claudia, The Opera Critic
age: 12 years
Ebben? Ne Andrò Lontana. Well then? I Will Go Far Away.
Sung by the soprano, Maria Callas
This aria is from the opera called La Wally. It was composed by Alfredo Catalani and was first performed at il Teatro alla Scala di Milano in 1892. The title of the opera is the name of the main character - a girl called Walburga (Wally for short). The opera is in four acts and this aria is sung in the first act.
The story takes place in the snowy Alps. Wally is in love with a man who belongs to a family that is her father's enemy. Her father is obviously opposed to his daughter's love for this man so he tries to arrange a marriage for her with somebody he approves of. He says that if she does not agree to the marriage then she will have to leave home!
She refuses to marry a man she does not love. So, she sings this aria, saying that she will leave home forever and go far away.
Some of the words are:
Ne andrò sola e lontana I will go alone and far away
Là fra la neve bianca n'andrò There amidst the white snow I will go
N'andrò sola e lontana I will go alone and far away
E fra le nubi d'or! And amidst the golden clouds!
The Opinion of Claudia:
I would not like to be in Wally's situation! She has the choice of either marrying a man she does not love or being forced to leave home. I think this is really terrible.
The soprano sings with a very clear and simple voice. She is able to reach amazingly high notes.
Towards the end, her simple voice suddenly becomes loud, dramatic and so high. It's as if she has now definitely managed to find the strength to leave home.
You have to be a very good singer to perform this aria because you have to sound delicate but also have moments of strength. You also have to reach very high notes. In my opinion, this soprano sings it perfectly.
At the end of this performance, I would call out Bravissima! It isn't often you hear such high notes so beautifully sung.
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