Turret Opera

The Turret Opera or "Cara Mia" (no official name is given) is a cinematic opera featured at the end of Portal 2. The song seems to be an Italian aria, but it, unfortunately, is not accompanied by official lyrics. Nevertheless, fans of Portal 2 with an understanding of Italian have both transcribed them in their original tongue and translated them into English. The composer, writer and singer are currently unknown. However, the singer is believed to be Ellen McLain, voice of GLaDOS and the turrets, as McLain is a professional opera singer.

Overview


The opera can be seen/heard after Chell awakens in GLaDOS' main control room and is subsequently expelled from the facility via an elevator. The game then cuts to an ending cinematic where Chell first encounters a group of four sentry turrets who, after aiming their lasers at Chell, begin to play the music of the opera as if they were accordions.

After seeing these turrets, the elevator continues its upward path and eventually ends up in a large amphitheater-like room full of turrets. The singer appears to be a turret that is wider/larger than the other, typical turrets and also has a spotlight on it. The thicker size of the apparent turret could be a play on the American stereotype that Grand Opera sopranos are typically overweight and colloquialism that "it ain't over 'til the fat lady sings".

Also of note is an enormous, crowned animal king sentry turret in what seems to be jaguar-print camouflage, which can be seen in the back of the amphitheater during the opera. It appears to be playing the deeper bass tones of the opera.

Lyrics


Italiano:


 * Cara bella, cara mia bella!
 * Mia bambina, o ciel! [pun: Chell = It. "Ciel" = Sky"]
 * Qué lástima... ("Ché la stimo", see note below)
 * Qué lástima.
 * O cara mia, addio!


 * La mia bambina cara,
 * perché non passi lontana?
 * Sì, lontana da Scïenza, [personified]
 * Cara, cara mia bambina?
 * Ah, mia bella!
 * Ah, mia cara!
 * Ah, mia cara!
 * Ah, mia bambina!
 * O cara, cara mia...

English:


 * Dear beautiful, my beautiful darling!
 * My child, oh Chell! [pun: "oh heavens!"]
 * What a shame... ("For I hold her in esteem", see note below)
 * What a shame.
 * Farewell to my dear!


 * My dear girl,
 * why do you not walk away?
 * Yes, away from Science,
 * My dear, my dear girl?
 * Ah, my beautiful!
 * Ah, my dear!
 * Ah, my dear!
 * Ah, my child!
 * Oh dear, my dear...

note: "Qué lástima": this line is oddly in Spanish, although the rest is in Italian. It can also be "Ché la stimo" in Italian, although this sounds less like it in the performance. In Spanish it means "What a shame" which ties in with the farewell; in Italian it means "For I hold her in esteem" which is odd as the rest of the song calls her a child.

Trivia

 * An "animal king takeover" is first mentioned in one of the Aperture Science demonstrational videos seen during the elevator rides in Chapter 2: The Cold Boot.


 * On the third tier between the "fat" and animal king turrets, right of center and in front of one of the lit, concrete walls, the shadowed figure of a franken-cube can be seen hobbling along.


 * Earlier in the game, there is an easter egg where four sentry turrets can be seen playing a tune different from that of the "Cara Mia". They are believed to be the same four which begin the opera and are probably practicing. The "fat" turret is also present in a crate across from them, but does not join in.


 * The pun on "ciel" and "Chell" makes this the only time Chell's name is spoken aloud in either game.


 * On the elevator ride in-between the first four turrets and the room with all of the singing turrets, you can see some turrets that were ensnared by a giant potato from Chell's experiment from "Bring your Daughter to Work Day" that grew around them.