O Sole Mio (Columbus Day)
Italy's most famous ode to a sunny day: lyrics by Giovanni Capurro, music by Eduardo di Capua, 1898. A classic Neapolitan Song, sung in the dialect of Naples, celebrating the wonders of Italia, its land, its people, its unique spirit.
Santa Lucia (ColumbusDay)
Traditional tune transcribed & given Italian lyrics by Teodoro Coutrau(1827-1879), English lyrics by 19th century Scottish musician/artist Thomas Oliphant. Inspired by Naples' harbor neighborhood Borgo Santa Lucia.
Sicily: A Meditation (Columbus Day)
"Intermezzo" (Interlude) from the operatic masterpiece "Cavalleria Rusticana" (1890) by Pietro Mascagni(1863-1945). The celebrated one-act opera(traditionally performed on a double bill with "I Pagliacci") is set in a 19th century Sicilian village on Easter morning. The "Intermezzo" is played just as the events of the drama are about to be played out to their tragic conclusion.
Un Bel Di (One Fine Day) (Puccini) (Holidays/Columbus Day)
From "Madama Butterfly," 1904 opera by Italian composer Giacomo Puccini (1858-1924), libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. Sung by Cio-Cio San, the hapless Nagasaki geisha abandoned by American Lieutenant Pinkerton, hoping he'll return to her and their child "One Fine Day."
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