The final song in the Opus 82 Four Arietta and a Duet is the duet. It’s known by the Italian first line “Odi l’aura che dolce sospira” (“Hear the breeze which sweetly sighs”) but was published under the German title “Lebens-Genuss” (“Enjoyment of Life”).
The final duet of the Opus 82 collection has a text by Metastasio:
Soprano:
Hear the breeze which sweetly sighs,
Stirring the branches as it flees away.
If you understand it, it speaks of love.
Tenor:
Hear the wave which billows noisily,
Brushing the river banks as it groans.
If you understand it, it complains of love.
Duet:
Whoever feels this fond emotion in his breast
Knows from experience if it be harmful or beneficial,
Whether it engenders delight or sorrow.
As usual, this translation is from Paul Reid’s “The Beethoven Song Companion,” p. 226
#Beethoven250 Day 236
“Lebens-Genuss” / “Odi l’aura che dolce sospira” (Opus 82, No. 5), 1809
I love this charming performance by Fatima Biñon and Iván Vega in Tucumán, Argentina.
Although it was a long time since Beethoven had studied Italian prosody with Antonio Salieri, he was evidently proud of the Opus 82 songs to Italian texts, and dropped them off at Salieri’s with the humble note “The pupil Beethoven was here.”