“Sull’aria”

Hello; welcome back to my blog! Are you ready to once again be immersed in opera? Because I know I am!

This week’s blog is centered around a duettino—a small duet—called “Sull’aria.” When I first listened to this duet, which was before I looked up the translation, I instantly knew I was going to like it… Who can resist two women banding together to catch a cheating husband!?

“Sull’aria” is a song from Le Nozze di Figaro,an opera centered around a Twilight-of-sort love triangle. Susanna, the maid of the Countess, is engaged to Figaro, a servant of Count Almaviva; however, the Count is enamored by Susanna and desires her for himself. The Countess, believing her husband is unfaithful, and Figaro, angered by the Count’s actions towards Susanna, attempt to foil Almviva’s plans. 

Knowing its plot, one can really appreciate this opera–or at least I can! Le Nozze di Figarohas a serious yet fun air to it, which I find enticing. However, the aspect that I most enjoy about this opera–one that many probably cannot relate to–is that “Sull’aria” was scored for oboe, strings, and bassoon. Having played the bassoon for nine years (I know! Can you imagine?), I always am appreciative and intrigued by music that is written for the bassoon since it is usually a typical background instrument. 

Recently, I was introduced to the movie The Shawshank Redemption,which, to the dismay of my classmates, I have never heard or seen before. For those of you who are also like me and apparently live under a rock, here is a little background about it: it is centered around two prisoners condemned at Shawshank State Penitentiary who become unlikely friends and eventually gain redemption. 

So you are probably wondering how this movie is relevant to “Sull’aria.” It isn’t…. Nope, just kidding—it is quite the opposite, in fact.

One of the most famous scenes in The Shawshank Redemptionis when a prisoner breaks into the main control room and begins to play a song through the loud speaker so that no prisoner nor guard nor worker could not not hear it. “What song is that Isabella?”, you might ask. 

“Sull’aria,” of course!

When he plays the duet, there is an immediate change experienced by the entire prison. At an instant, everyone stops what they are doing, and just listens; there is no moving, no talking, no fighting. Seeing this scene for the first time, I had goosebumps. What is amazing about this scene is that “Sull’aria” gives the prisoners, for the first time in years, a taste of freedom. Listening to something “So beautiful that it can’t be expressed in words… and makes heart ache because of it,” produces a profound effect—even if for only a moment—on the men. The feeling that the duet gave the prisoners is the same response I have whenever I listen to opera. It takes me away from reality, providing me with a temporary escape from my troubles and worries.

However, what is the most interesting about this scene is the directors’ choice in picking “Sull’aria.” Though they could have picked any song, they chose this duet in particular. Why is that? 

“Sull’aria” accounts Susanna and the Countess writing a letter for the Count in order to catch his unfaithfulness. They tell him to meet Susanna in the garden, where the Countess, dressed as Susanna, will go to check him. Though I would not argue that plot of this scene matches with that of the movie, the lyrics of the duet parallel what is physically happening in the prison. The lyrics, translated from Italian, are as followed:

On the breeze

What a gentle little zephir

A little zephir

This evening will sigh

This evening will sigh

Under the pines in the little grove.

Under the pines…

Under the pines in the little grove

Under…the pines… in the little grove

And the rest he’ll understand

Certainly, certainly he’ll understand

The connection I see between the duet and movie scene may not what other people see nor what the directors had in mind, but it doesn’t mean it’s wrong. It just means that is different. When I listen to “Sull’aria,” I picture the meeting place that Susanna and the Countess are discussing; a meeting place hidden from view, covered by pine trees but still able to feel the breeze of the wind. A meeting place where truths are exposed; where the Countess reveals herself and the Count’s actions are finally brought forward. I imagine this meeting similar to what is occurring in Shawshank Redemption. Instead of a garden, the meeting place is a prison yard, hidden from the world and covered by tall fences. When everyone in the prison hears “Sull’aria,” they stop and nothing else matters. It is almost as if they are meeting each other for the first time, united together through the temporary freedom created by the music and not by their identities as prisoners. Though the prisoners are isolated from society, the music gives them some humanity, like the breeze that blows in the garden. Their truth—the freedom and humanity that they deserve—is able to rise to the surface. And, for a moment, they are able to feel the breeze.

Whether the filmmakers chose the “Sull’aria” with this idea in mind is not important. My idea can be completely different than the person sitting next to me. What is important to understand is how versatile opera can be. This comparison shows how opera can affect people differently and can be regarded in a multitude of ways.

And, most importantly, it shows how opera can serve as a new meeting place for all of us.