To: "VOCALIST" <vocalist>
Subject: Re: Opera
Date sent: Thu, 16 Dec 1999 20:56:35 -0800
Send reply to: VOCALIST <vocalist>

> try out 2 arias (When I am Laid in Earth.... I love it, but the high notes
> kill me , we dropped it and Voi che sapete... we kept it, I like it, I
just
> lack emotion and energy when I sing it... so I've been told). I'd like to
> further the ? and ask how long do you work on art songs or other exercises
> before you hit the arias??? Just want to get an average idea. Thanks.

HI Alia:

When I was 17 I wanted to sing "When I am Laid in Earth," and my teacher
said no - it's a big aria, and not easy either. So I listened to her. Last
month, I finally did perform it - with my voice, but still w/ emotion.
(it's sung by dramatic sopranos, mezzos, lyric sopranos, you name it!!!).
I'm glad I waited - I had the technical facility to deal with the notes, and
I had more experience to express the deep emotion behind Dido.

Your question is a hard one. I have friends that are 23, and still
don't think they are ready for arias, even though they have been studying
since their teens. Some voices develop faster than others. Voi Che Sapete
is probably not a bad place to start - you could also look at other Mozart
arias like "Vedrai Carino" and "Batti, Batti" both from Don Giovanni.

Personally I really like art songs too! And there are some that you can
a lot with dramatically, with your voice. Schumann, Schubert and Richard
Strauss all wrote great songs.... so did Faure, Debussy and Poulenc. Some
are harder than others. You have to find the ones that you like - the ones
where the poem speaks to you. Good luck.

Fiona