Reri Grist: Strauss - Ariadne auf Naxos, 'Großmächtige Prinzessin'

Reri Grist (born February 29, 1932) is an American coloratura soprano, one of the pioneer African-American singers to enjoy a major international career in opera. Grist was born in New York City, grew up in the East River Houses Project, attended the High School of Music and Art and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Music from Queens College, City University of New York. In her early teens she performed on Broadway in small roles and in musicals along with Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee, Lawrence Tibbett and Eartha Kitt, while gaining a solid training in voice through private study with Claire Gelda. Her first opera engagement was as Madame Herz in a concert performance of Der Schauspieldirektor by Mozart. Grist's official staged operatic debut was at the Santa Fe Opera in 1959, as Adele in Die Fledermaus followed by Blondchen in Die Entführung aus dem Serail. Igor Stravinsky heard her there and invited her to perform his Le Rossignol with him conducting with the Washington Opera Society. Her European debut in 1960 was as the Queen of the Night in Mozart's The Magic Flute at the Cologne Opera. She was a member of the Zurich Opera from 1960-1966 where she first sang roles including Zerbinetta (Ariadne auf Naxos), Sophie (Der Rosenkavalier) and Adina (L'Elisir d'Amore). After her successes in Zurich, she found herself much in demand, making her debut in 1962 at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden in Le Coq d'Or and at the Glyndebourne Festival as Despina in Così Fan Tutte. Then followed the Vienna State Opera in 1963, where she performed during twenty five seasons. In the same year she first appeared at the San Francisco Opera as Rosina in Il Barbiere di Siviglia. Throughout twelve following seasons she appeared in roles among which were Gilda in Rigoletto, Oscar in Un Ballo in Maschera, Manon in Massenet's Manon, Susanna in Le Nozze di Figaro, Zerbinetta and Adina. In 1964, Grist debuted at the Salzburg Festival as Zerbinetta and performed throughout twelve seasons in Mozart operas conducted by Karl Böhm, Zubin Mehta and Herbert von Karajan. Her characterisations included Susanna, Despina, Blondchen and Papagena (in The Magic Flute). Her Metropolitan Opera debut took place on February 25, 1966, as Rosina in Il Barbiere di Siviglia. Her other roles at the Met included, Adina, Norina (Don Pasquale), Gilda (Rigoletto), Olympia (Les contes d'Hoffmann), Oscar, Sophie and Zerbinetta. Grist ended her operatic career in 1991 at De Nederlandse Opera in Amsterdam in the one-woman opera, Neither composed by Morton Feldman to a text by Samuel Beckett and directed by Pierre Audi... en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reri_Grist
Lyrics & English Translation
Most gracious Princess,
who does not know
that for such an illustrious
and noble personage as
yourself grief must have a
different measure than for
common mortals. - Yet,
Are we not all women underneath,
and does there not beat
in every breast an unfathomable,
unfathomable heart?
To speak of our weakness,
to confess it too ourselves,
is it not bitter-sweet? And does
not our heart thrill at it?
You do not wish to listen
to me beautiful and proud
and still, like' a statue on your
own tomb. You want no other
confidante, then, than these
rocks and waves'?
Princess, hear me out - not you
alone, but all - oh, all of us -
that which numbs your heart,
where is the woman who has
not suffered it? Forsaken! In
despair!' Marooned!
Oh, such desert islands
are numberless, even in the
midst of men, I, I myself,
I have inhabited such more
than once, and have never
learnt to curse men.
They are faithless!
Monstrous, knowing no bounds!
A brief night,
a hasty day,
a puff of air,
a fleeting second
transforms their heart!
But then, are we proof
against the cruel, delicious,
the inexplicable transformations?
Often when I believe I belong to
one man alone, when I feel
completely sure of myself,
there steals into my sweetly
deluded heart an
as-yet-untasted freedom,
a new and stealthy love,
roving, shameless emotions.
I am still true, and yet I am false,
I think myself good, and am
already bad, everything is
measured with false weights
and half self-knowing and
half in frenzy, I deceive him in
the end and yet love him truly!
Just when I feel completely sure
of myself, there steals into my
sweetly deluded heart
a new and stealthy love.
Yes, half self-knowing and half in frenzy,
I deceive him in
the end and yet love him truly!
So it was with Pagliaccio
and Mezzetino!
Then it was Cavicchio,
then Burattino,
then Pasquariello!
Oh, and sometimes,
it seems to me,
there were two!
But never caprice,
always a compulsion,
always a new
tremulous wonder:
oh, that one's heart should
have so little understanding of
itself.
Ah!
A link to this wonderful artists personal Website: www.allmusic.com/artist/reri-g...
Please enjoy!
I send my kind and warm regards,