Non Pìù Andrai

The song 'Non Più Andrai' is a famous aria from Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's opera 'The Marriage of Figaro', which premiered in 1786. Although the artist name provided, José Carlos Santos Silva, does not correspond to the original composer, it is likely that Silva is a performer of this piece. The aria is sung by the character Figaro to Cherubino, a young page who is being sent away to join the army as a punishment for his flirtatious behavior.

The lyrics mockingly bid farewell to Cherubino's carefree days of chasing women ('farfallone amoroso') and his fashionable attire. Figaro describes how Cherubino will no longer have his fancy clothes and charming looks ('Non piu avrai questi bei penacchini... Quel vermiglio donnesco color!'). Instead, he will have to endure the harsh life of a soldier ('Fra guerrieri, poffar Bacco! Gran mustacchi, stretto sacco'). The song contrasts the comforts and pleasures of Cherubino's former life with the rigors and dangers of military service, using vivid imagery to emphasize the drastic change.

The aria is both humorous and poignant, as it signifies a loss of innocence and the forced transition from youth to adulthood. The repeated line 'Alla gloria militar!' underscores the irony of Cherubino's situation, as he is being sent to 'glory' in the military, which is far from the romantic adventures he had envisioned for himself. The song captures the themes of change, the end of adolescence, and the stark realities of adult responsibilities.