Passion
1. intense emotion: intense or overpowering emotion such as love, joy, hatred, or angerTry and play it with a little more passion.
2. strong sexual desire: strong sexual desire and excitement
3. intense enthusiasm: a strong liking or enthusiasm for a subject or activity
a passion for music
4. object of enthusiasm: the object of somebody's intense interest or enthusiasm
Orchids are my passion.
5. outburst of emotion: a sudden outburst of an emotion such as rage, hatred, or jealousy
He flew into a passion.
Emotions: strong emotions, especially as distinct from reason or intellect
a meeting at which passions were running high
[12th century. Via French< ecclesiastical Latin passion- "suffering, affection" < Latin pati "feel, suffer"]
From Encarta.
I find it amazing how beauty and redemption emerge from passion, its lows and highs. It is so daring to dare to feel deeply. We risk everything in loving one person, one cat, one dog, one thing. And in plunging to the depths, we touch the divine. This often feels like dying. And there IS a river we need to throw ourselves into. The river of life. The current of the heart.
This is the aria O mio babbino caro, from Gianni Schicchi by Pucchini. It is one of the most beautiful songs in the world, and it is pathetic. This version is sung by Sissel, a Norwegian.
Bio of Sissel.
Now check out the libretto:
Italian
O mio babbino caro Mi piace è bello, bello Vo'andare in Porta Rossa a comperar l'anello! Sì, sì, ci voglio andare! e se l'amassi indarno, andrei sul Ponte Vecchio, ma per buttarmi in Arno! Mi struggo e mi tormento! O Dio, vorrei morir! Babbo, pietà, pietà! Babbo, pietà, pietà!
Translation in English
O my dear papa He pleases me, and is handsome, handsome I want to go to Porta Rossa to buy the ring! Yes, yes, I want to go there! And if my love were in vain, I would go to the Ponte Vecchio and throw myself in the Arno! I am aching, I am tortured! Oh God, I'd like to die! Father, have pity, have pity! Father, have pity, have pity!
Here is a version by the magnificent Kiri te Kanawa:
I love working with opera singers. In 1979 I moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico, and lived on the north part of town, Tano Road, which is fairly close to the opera house. A whole group of singers starting coming to me for private sessions. Their voice coach was referring them to me, and they found it valuable to have access to the total relaxation and ease of meditation as a support for the voice. We did a lot of exploration of the subtle sensations that go with the chakras. As for me, I was amazed at how deep these singers would go into meditation, how quickly. There is a great deal of overlap between voice training and meditation, and I am surprised this has not been articulated more.
A yoga teacher once asked me about working with opera singers and I said, “They know more about breath than you will ever learn, or could learn in several lifetimes. They just do. At the same time, they are so responsive to nuance that you can invite them to do the simplest pranayama technique and they will be delighted with it. So just hold the space for them to learn. They are the best students in the world. But don’t make them work. They already work incredibly hard. Lead them into play.”
Angela Gheorghiu:
My favorite version of Angela:
What a great world we live in, to have such incredible women singing in it!
Passion Etymology
Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin passion-, passio suffering, being acted upon, from Latin pati to suffer. Date: 13th century1. often capitalized a: the sufferings of Christ between the night of the Last Supper and his death b: an oratorio based on a gospel narrative of the Passion; 2. obsolete : suffering; 3. the state or capacity of being acted on by external agents or forces; 4. a (1): emotion
Synonyms: passion, fervor, ardor, enthusiasm, zeal mean intense emotion compelling action. passion applies to an emotion that is deeply stirring or ungovernable