From: Lily, Act I, Scene II
Category: Opera Aria
Instrumentation: tenor, piano
Original Scoring: Tenor and orchestra
Arrangement: Piano part arranged from the orchestral score
Duration: 3 minutes

I Want to Imagine is sung by Selden, the male lead, in Act I, Scene II of Lily. He and Lily have planned to meet in the garden of the estate where they are staying as guests. When Selden arrives, Lily is pretending to sleep, and he sings this aria before waking her.

The aria captures Selden’s private longing and idealized vision of Lily. Its intimate dramatic situation allows the tenor line to unfold with warmth, restraint, and romantic expectation.

This aria should be sung with tenderness and inward focus. The performer should preserve the sense of a private moment, as Selden imagines what love with Lily might become.