An aria translation from Mozart's the Magic Flute
Aria: Ach, ich fühl's, es ist verschwunden
Opera: The Magic Flute, Die Zauberflöte, K620
Composer: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Libretto: Johann Emanuel Schikaneder, in German
Role: Pamina, daughter of the Queen of the Night
Voice Part: Soprano, lyric
Synopsis: Act 2; Hearing the playing of Tamino's flute, Pamina finds and meets Tamino. Her heart is broken when he refuses to speak to her, not knowing that he has taken a vow of silence in-order to pass a test and win her love. When she approaches him and he apparently ignores her, she sings that she feels as if her life is over.
Notes: Ach, ich fühl's, is considered one of the most beautiful pieces of music in the Magic Flute, and perhaps in all of Mozart Opera. The Orchestral accompaniment presses forward as if desperate heart was beating, and when coupled with the lyric vocal line, shows us Pamina's pain and longing for Tamino. In the premiere performance of Die Zauberflöte the role of Pamina was sung by the 17-year-old Anna Gottlieb. Gottlieb had previously created the role of Barbarina in Le Nozze di Figaro.
English Translation of German Text
Ach, ich fühl's, es ist verschwunden, (Oh, I feel it, it disappeared)
Ewig hin der Liebe Glück! (Gone forever is love¹s luck!)
Nimmer kommt ihr Wonnestunde (Never again comes the blissful hour)
Meinem Herzen mehr zurück! (Back to my heart!)
Sieh', Tamino, diese Tränen, (See, Tamino, these tears,)
Fließen, Trauter, dir allein! (Flowing, beloved, for you alone!)
Fühlst du nicht der Liebe Sehnen, (You do not feel the chords of love,)
So wird Ruh' im Tode sein! (Thus there will be peaceful rest in death!)
Recommended Recordings:
- Gundula Janowitz; Die Zauberflöte; Philharmonia Chorus and Orchestra, Otto Klemperer, conductor; EMI Classics catalog: B00004VVZN
- Christine Oelze; Die Zauberflöte; English Baroque Orchestra, John Eliot Gardiner, conductor; Arkiv: Catalog: ARCH 449 166-2)
- Evelyn Lear, Die Zauberflöte; Berlin Philharmonic, Karl Böhm, conductor, Deutsche Grammophon catalog: 449 749-2
Scores:
Complete opera score:
- Bärenreiter, Urtext, BA4553 90, Piano Reduction/Vocal Score
- G. Schirmer; Composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791). Vocal score for voices and piano accompaniment. Piano reduction. Text language German/English. 167 pages. (HL.50337620)
Aria available in:
- Opera Arias for Soprano – G. Schirmer
- Operatic Anthology (Soprano) - G. Schirmer
Other Magic Flute Aria translations:
- Dies Bildnis ist bezauberd schön (Tamino)
- Der Volgerfänger bin ich ja (Papageno)
- Der Hölle Rache kocht in meinem Herzen (The Queen of the Night)
Please visit the article archives for more interesting articles about opera. Feel free to contact the Opera feature writer, Bryce by email if you have any questions or have any recommendations as to material you would like covered.
