"O Colombina".

OK, boys and girls, back to the 90s (the 1890s, that is!): Also known as "Harlequin's Serenade", this lighthearted and graceful lyrical tenor aria appears in Act 2 of Leoncavallo's magnum opus "Pagliacci" (1892). Beppe, dressed as Harlequin, serenades his lover, who is played by Nedda, in this play-within-a-play comedia dell'arte segment. Passion, torment and the desire to steal a kiss. He sings from offstage accompaned only by a guitar. A small reprieve from the tragic undertones of the rest of the opera. Perhaps the best-known version is by Tito Schipa from 1926, arguably the finest tenore di grazia in operatic history. Aria? Answer: "O Colombina". My paternal grandfather and my namesake (I am III) "Don Leo" was an avid Italian opera admirer. Growing up, when I stayed at his house on weekends, we would spend hours listening to opera on the ol' hi-fi. He taught me everything I know about the genre and ignited in me a passion for it. To this day, I cannot listen to Italian opera without thinking of Belo. He had an old 78 rpm of Schipa's rendition. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XeXgUg-vbtU&list=RDXeXgUg-vbtU&start_radio=1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJaCLDV5MTY&list=RDcJaCLDV5MTY&start_radio=1

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