The flaky, over-the-edge Leonid, Ranevskaya's brother, with his sweet aria in praise of truth, justice, courage, faith, hope, goodness and charity -- delivered to a bookcase -- is the dear sort whose life of the mind converts to the regard of money.
So this sweet, soft aria undermines the dramatic tension.
Act II opens with "Oh fiamma soave" ("Oh sweet flame"), an aria of romantic obsession sung by the King, who is disguised as a shepherd named Uberto.
The music to listen to: Mascagni and Puccini The voluptuous Edenic madness of the Tuscan coast is offset perfectly by the cool, sweet Puccini, whose arias are tenderly emotional, swelling between optimism and melancholy.
But it was in the Britten that Mr. Daniels seemed to find his voice, and he went on to show off its sweet honey in two arias from Handel's "Semele" and a group of well-conceived arrangements of American folk songs.
My sweet, sweet, sweetness.
Mario Zeffiri sang the tenor arias with a sweet fluidity, and the bass-baritone Kyle Ketelsen gave a strong account of the "Song of the Brigands".
Attitude: Aria's attitude is sweet, funny, and unique.
Other notable selections include the disc's namesake aria, "O Solitude, My Sweetest Choice," expressively sung here, and the ominous "Cold Song" from "King Arthur".
I was on the edge of my seat and my heart was racing as he sang the softest, sweetest, and slowest return of the aria's A section I have ever heard.
Rehearsing a scene in which the soprano Lucy Crowe sang the aria "If Love's a Sweet Passion," with echoes from a quartet of singers, he told them, "Lucy is coloring absolutely every word.
