This week on the Ether Game Weekly Music Quiz Podcast, we're tolling, clanging, jingling, and jangling, and taking a look at some bells in classical music. It's a show we're calling "Clear As A Bell"! Can you name this ringing tune? (The answer is below) Remember to keep your ears out for a portion of Tuesday night's Teaser selection. And don't forget to tune into the full show on Tuesday, February 20th at 8:00pm for a chance to win a prize!
Léo Delibes (1815–1910): LAKMÉ: Oû va la jeune Indoue? (Bell Song)
Joan Sutherland, soprano. The Art Of The Prima Donna (London)
The opera Lakmé is the most enduring work from French Romantic composer Léo Delibes, mostly due to this coloratura showcase and the popular duet known as the "Flower Duet." The opera takes place in British-ruled India, and centers around Lakmé, the young daughter of a Hindu priest. Lakmé falls in love with one of the British officers occupying her father's land. Her father however disapproves, mostly because he views the British as illegal trespassers. In this scene, Lakmé's father gets her to sing a song to lure the soldier out of hiding. She sings this aria, known as the "Bell Song," singing an exotic melody about a young maiden meeting a strange traveller in the forest while holding a wand that has the bells of a sorcerer. The song works, and the soldier approaches...only to be stabbed by Lakmé's father. I never said it was a happy opera!
