siciliana

Hey Lou, how was The Knife's opera? I've been obsessing over one aria in particular at the moment, which I thought I'd force you to listen to. It is the Siciliana, or O Lola c'hai di latti la cammisa from Mascagni's Cavalleria Rusticana. It opens the opera, but is sung off-stage, which gives it a beautiful echo. The title means "O Lola, lovely as the spring's bright blooms". A siciliana is actually a musical style which has "lilting rhythms" which evoke a pastoral mood...which makes sense. The version below is by Italian Tenor Tito Schipa, recorded in 1913. To hear a more modern interpretation, click here!