"Choeur des Soldats" (Soldiers' Chorus) from FAUST by Charles Gounod • Washington Men's Camerata

From Act IV of the Charles Gounod (1818–1893) opera "Faust," when the solders return from war. Libretto by Jules Barbier and Michel Carré. Jon Abbracciamento, trumpet. Mark Latimer, snare drum. Julie Huang Tucker, piano. Washington Men's Camerata directed by Scott Tucker in "The Dawn of Peace" concert, 2024.

FRENCH TEXT

Gloire immortelle
De nos aïeux
Sois-nous fidèle,
Mourons comme eux!
Et sous ton aile,
Soldats vainqueurs,
Dirige nos pas, enflamme nos cœurs!
Pour toi, mère patrie,
Affrontant le sort
Tes fils, l’âme aguerrie,
Ont bravé la mort!
Ta voix sainte nous crie:
En avants, soldats!
Le fer à la main, courrez aux combats!
Gloire immortelle...
Vers nos foyers hâtons le pas!
On nous attend; la paix est faite!
Plus de soupirs! ne tardons pas!
Notre pays nous tend les bras!
L’amour nous rit, L’amour nous fête!
Et plus d’un cœur fremit tous bas
Au souvenir de nos combats!

ENGLISH TRANSLATION

Immortal glory
Of our ancestors,
Be loyal to us,
Let’s die as they did!
And under your protection,
As victorious soldiers,
Direct our steps, kindle our hearts!
For you, fatherland,
Defying Fate,
Your warlike sons
Have faced death!
Your holy voice shouts to us:
Forward, soldiers!
Sword in hand, rush into the fray!
Immortal glory...
Let us hasten back to our homes!
We are awaited, peace is now made.
No more sighing! Let us hurry!
Our country holds out its arms to us!
Love smiles on us, we are love’s darlings!
And more than one heart flutters silently
At the memory of our battles!

Washington Men's Camerata, directed by Scott Tucker, is DC's premier chorus performing, promoting, and preserving diverse tenor and bass choral music and camaraderie since 1984. The Camerata has performed at The Kennedy Center, The White House, Smithsonian institutions, National Gallery of Art, Wolf Trap, Strathmore, and across the region; alongside National Symphony Orchestra, The U.S. Army Chorus, Washington Symphonic Brass, Mark Morris Dance Group, Symphony Orchestra of Northern Virginia, and on NPR, PBS, and SiriusXM. A 501(c)(3) nonprofit, the Camerata has recorded six albums and regularly commissions and premieres pieces, part of a national lending library of sheet music, The Demetrius Project, with over 200,000 scores of 3,300 works. https://www.camerata.com/