favorite love duets

what are your favorite love duets? My favorites after " Nuits d'ivresse" from les troyens are the death scene from carmen, "Carmen, je t'aime encore, Carmen je t'aime, je t'adore...", the meeting of Siegmund and Sieglinde in the first act of die walkure"du bist der lenz", and " ce n'est pas ma main" from Manon. I'm not sure I'm quoting correctly; my libretti are in ny. (I saw Jessye Norman in both Walkure and Les Troyens at the Met and Beverly Sills in Manon on film). They were wonderful.

My absolute favourite might be Gounod's Marguerite and Faust in Act 5, before her death... I grew up with Italian opera, Verdi was my hero most of my life, so I'd have to include many duets from his operas, "Parigi, o cara", then the Elvira-Don Carlo duet from Ernani (is it still a love duet if only one party loves? And if they are basically snarling at each other?)--although, since I tend to prefer "difficult" relationships and unrequited passions over straightforward hero-heroine tenor-soprano bliss, I don't think I have that many love-duet favourites to begin with.

That's why "Evgeny Onegin" is so perfect for me--nobody loves happily in it! :)

If we describe "love duet" more elastically to include friendship, I'd include Norma and Adalgisa (Act 1, when Norma discovers the other one is in love with her lover, and goes from fury towards the girl to self-sacrifice) and the Alvaro-Carlo di Vargas duet (La forza del destino) when the former is wounded and confides (unwittingly from both sides) to his enemy.

But there are so many more...

Oooh--Mefistofele and whatshername, the innkeeper--Martha!--, in Boito's "Mefistofele", while Faust is romancing Margherita--so juicy.

Vogliateme bene! From Madama Butterfly - it's soo beautiful and sad when you know the ending!

I also love "nuit hymenee" from Gounod's Romeo and Juliette. Especially how they fight over whether it is day or night. Time to leave or stay. They use nightingale and lark just like in the original Shakespeare.

I have to agree with almigwin with The Final Duet from Carmen. It is perhaps my absolute favourite! So heartbreakingly sad it can reduce me to tears - and not for Carmen but for Jose!

What about Miserere from Verdi's Il trovatore? It's kind of a love duet. And yet, sooo beautifuly sad!

An obvious choice, but there are few passages in opera more beautiful than the Rodolfo - Mimi duet in La Boheme, 'che gelida manina' etc.