Belle nuit o nuit d’amour-Tales of Hoffmann by Garanca/ Netrebko

I am going to try another multi-part series. There is so much good material that I thought, why not try to put some songs into a thematic package. Nothing tried, nothing gained. I will use a song from opera, operetta and musical theatre for each of three themes: The Atmosphere of Love or Setting the Stage; The Love Song; and finally, The Love Duet.

Night is always a good time to set the stage for thoughts of love. We will start with “Belle Nuit O Nuit d’amore” (loosely translated as Beautiful night, o night of love). This aria comes from Jacques Offenbach’s one opera, Le Contes d’Hoffmann (1881), which premiered one year after Offenbach’s death. We bring you the recent recording by Anna Netrebko and Elina Garanca.