Oui, it is finally here, and it could never come back too soon: La saison du printemps est de retour! (Spring season is finally back!)

Why don’t we all celebrate the happy event with some of les plus belles voix (the most beautiful voices) of l’opéra français (French Opera)?

For many, Maria Callas has de loin (by far) delivered the best Delilah performance à ce jour (to this day)

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Many a great opera singer has chanted the célèbre (famous) French aria that you are about to listen to today: Think of la Roumaine (Romanian) Elena Cernei, the Russian Olga Borodina, or the American Shirley Verrett; few of these mezzo-soprano voices, however, have come close to the performance somptueuse achieved by the one and only Maria Callas.

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Denise de Freitas sings “Printemps qui commence“

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dtCjoh3AGyw

The delightful “Russian touch”, by Olga Borodina…

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wMkv-IHzY2Q

…not to forget la regretée (the late-lamented) Shirley Verrett

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And finally, la grande diva, Maria Callas

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Printemps qui commence,

Spring blossoms

Portant l’espérance,

Bringing hope

Aux cœurs amoureux,

To the hearts of lovers

Ton souffle qui passe,

Your passing breath

De la terre efface,

Erases off the face of the earth

Les jours malheureux…

The unhappy days…

Tout brûle en notre âme,

Everything burns in our soul

Et ta douce flamme,

And your soft flame

Vient sécher nos pleurs,

Dries our tears

Tu rends à la terre,

Your restore to earth

Par un doux mystère

By a soft mystery

Les fruits et les fleurs…

Fruits and flowers…

En vain je suis belle,

My beauty is in vain

Mon cœur plein d’amour,

My heart full of love,

Pleurant l’infidèle,

Weeping the unfaithful

Attend son retour,

Awaits his return,

Vivant d’espérance,

Living the hope,

Mon cœur désolé…

My grieving heart…

Garde souvenance,

Recall

Du bonheur passé,

The past happiness

A la nuit tombante,

When night falls,

J’irai, triste amante,

I, the sad lover, shall go,

M’assoir au torrent,

Sit by the river

L’attendre en pleurant…

Waiting and crying…

Chassant ma tristesse,

Driving away my sadness

S’il revient un jour,

If he is one day to come back,

A lui ma tendresse,

To him my tenderness

Et la douce ivresse,

And the sweet drunkenness

Qu’un brûlant amour,

A burning love,

Garde à son retour…

Awaits his return