Condotta ell'era in ceppi| Raehann Bryce-Davis (Azucena)

Raehann Bryce-Davis sings Azucena's aria, Condotta ell'era in ceppi from Verdi's Il Trovatore with pianist, Kamal Khan at the National Opera Center at Opera America.
Translation:
She was led to her destiny in chains!
With the child in my arm, I followed her weeping.
I tried, in vain, to reach her...
In vain the wretch tried to stop and bless me!
For, among terrible curses, prodding her with their weapons
They pushed her towards the stake, those cruel men!
Then, with broken accents she exclaimed: "Revenge!"
That word eternally reverberates in this heart.
I managed to kidnap the Count's child:
I dragged him hither...
the flames were ready.
He was crying his heart out,
my heart was torn, in shreds!
Then all of a sudden, to the sick soul, like in a dream, a vision of frightening phantoms rose!
The guards and the torture!...
My mother, deathly pale... barefoot, half naked!...
The cry, the well-known cry echoes....
"Revenge!"...
I stretch my trembling hand...
I hold the victim... I reach for it,
Push it into the fire...
the delirium is over...
The dreadful scene vanishes...
Only the flame burning, and its victim is no more!
I then turn my eyes and I see just in front of me the son of the wicked Count...
My son, my own son I had killed!
I still feel my hair raising at the thought of it!
Translated by Guia K. Monti [e-mail]

[@glgree1]

So refreshing to hear a full voiced performance with no tricks! Old school, and I love it!

[@operalover3535]

Bravaa!!!

[@PaulGood-wt7mb]

Wonderful...great lower voice....crazy good!

[@azucenathegysy]

Iam going to call this aria Azucenas miserere,because from the very first time I heard this aria when shirley verrett sang it and I heard madam Bryce-davis sing this aria it has touch me in so many ways!again I think you and Ms.Verrett for this experience!BRAVO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@luisvillalobos3452]

Beautiful chest tones!!!

[@Triosfrios]

She brings me back to times already past when there were true mezzos out there like Cossotto. Extremely impressive and beautiful voice! I can't wait to see her at the Met singing this role!

[@davidmuller9938]

Cossotto was nobody's mezzo. Her voice was totally a soprano

[@vikrambal]

Brava!!! Beautiful voice, and with so many different colors flowing out.

[@locoforCOCOZ]

I just saw you perform this role yesterday at the Kennedy Center, there are no words to describe how mindblowing your performance was!!!

[@GabriellaAleo]

Brava ❤

[@rosellabone7261]

Inspirational! This is how it's done.

[@azucenathegysy]

Bravo sister, you have found yourself another fan! I really enjoyed your singing I was almost brought to tears! I haven't had anyone else to make me feel that way accept Shirley verrett when she sang this very aria in 1971!

[@luisnorbertogomez7058]

BRAVA BRAVA BRAVA

[@MonicaASilva-bq2xx]

Lindo!!!

[@AnnabellaEllis]

Absolutely stunning! Brava :)

[@tobesrenditions333]

Your voice is amazing..... Damn

[@corneliusbates460]

Beautiful

[@melinajaharismezzosoprano5510]

Your voice is amazing I love it so much. I am swimming in your sound

[@magicmonkichi]

Alright Lady....you got my ears perked.....Brava~! THAT'S how it's done, emotion and music!

[@nesrine_soprano]

Braaava!! 😍😍😍

[@ariasemusicaslegendadas7657]

04:54 A3 low note!

[@DASHAGLAM]

That’s mindblowing!!!! Now I want to learn this aria😍😍😍 and I dream to visit your live performance🙋‍♀️

[@Anton_Maslennikov]

Bravo my padruzhka, like from Russia with love 😍

[@rafaelalfonsoq]

Brava!! Golden age singing, once again proving there is only one proper technique.

[@hautecontrre]

Brava!!

[@andre_p]

Bravo Raehann ! I think an orchestral support and sympathetic conductor would enable your delivery (superb!) to be rythmically freer (slower and with greater verbal emphasis). But vocally (emission, breath support, chest tones and richness on top) this is magnificent. Your rendition of Sapho’s Ô Ma lyre immortelle is one of my favourites ever. 👍

[@waterfordwinstons]

It’s very seldom that I wholeheartedly enjoy modern Opera Singers, I Guess I am stuck in the Past! Even though this is not the whole production ,you give everything needed to bring this moment to life. Haw I want to experience to sit in an opera house while you do what you do. This was an incredible rendering I am sure that Shirley Verrett would be proud. BRAVA !

[@raehannbryce]

Thank you so much for your words ❤. I must say, I'm a bit stuck in the past myself, vocally anyhow, perhaps that's why we get along 🤗.

[@judy6238]

@@raehannbryce can hear that. And thank goodness for that 🙌👍👍 Brava!!!

[@michelklein3655]

Belle surprise! Voix chaleureuse facile .à suivre une future grande artiste

[@jameslevister153]

Wow, powerfully sung and interpreted- her presenation is up there with Gorr, Simionato, Stignani, Cossoto and others as worthy. Truely exciting!

[@jasonblack4208]

This, ladies and gentlemen, is what happens when you use your natural, God-given voice, rather than listening to modern "vocal pedagogists" who tell you to "avoid all that dangerous weight of the chest".

[@phil2u48]

Poweful performance. Unfortunately, the quality of the recording does not do sufficient justice to Ms Bryce-Davis's breadth of sound production. Bravissima.

[@grig035]

Completely real AND completely musical. Neither is real if both aren't. In you, both are. Welcome to the elect.

[@jjlungdoc7472]

What am I missing here? Absolutely nothing!