One of my favorite arias is
Jacque Offenbach's "Barcarolle" from his opera, The Tales of Hoffman.
Interestingly, this piece resulted from posthumous teamwork. Offenbach wrote the aria as the "Elves' Song" for another opera, but after he died, a fellow composer Ernest Guiraud completed the score of the unfinished Tales of Hoffman and included an excerpt from Offenbach's earlier opera. That excerpt is what we now know as "Barcarolle."
The Tales of Hoffmann - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
I first heard an orchestral version of "Barcarolle" when I was 18 and had acquired or made a tape of classical music that I loved. I remember lying in bed one night listening to the tape over and over, especially enjoying this song, which I felt and still feel is hauntingly beautiful.
Only later (last year) did I realize the music arose from an opera and was intended to have
singers.
I feel that the following performance, which I just heard for the first time, is especially nice because the singers' voices are so luscious and mesh beautifully. The song sounds like the taste of a delicious dessert...perhaps a cream puff, eclaire, baklava, or sweet, ripe, tangy mango.
"Barcarolle" -- from Jacque Offenbach's opera, The Tales of Hoffman
Anna Netrebko (soprano) and Elina Garanca (mezzo-soprano).
The opera as a whole is loosely about appreciating and keeping your creative spirit, your muse, alive. The "Barcarolle" is about an ephemeral night of passion: