Molly McLinden wrote:
> I am thinking of doing about 3 arias.... I want to get the right combination
> of contrast in the language,style, and time period. I also have to consider
> difficulty levels for the ORCHESTRA..that is a big factor in who they
> select. I am choosing from:
>
> Lisa's aria from Pique Dame- Tschaikovsky
>
> The Trees on the Mountain from Susannah-Floyd
>
> Il est doux, il est bon from Herodiade- Massenet
>
> Czardas- Die Fledermaus- J Strauss
>
> Jewel song- Faust- Gounod
>
> Vissi d'arte- Tosca- Puccini
>
> comments????
Although I love the Massenet aria, I don't think that's the
type of aria folks want to hear in an orchestra concert, or
the judges would go for if its a choice betwen you and
someone else. Plus I think it's very challenging for the
orchestra in coordinating with the singer, because the
rhythms Massenet wrote are so tricky to work out.
I think the Floyd is a good choice, as it's always
well-received by American audiences because of its
accessible musical style (which surprises them, since it was
written in the 20th century), its American vernacular text,
and its dramatic effectiveness.
The Vissi d'arte is also a good choice, because it's a
familiar aria, it's short, and it's very effective for the
singer who can sing it with a great deal of feeling.
Puccini is never easy for the orchestra to play, but
assuming the players are professional quality, and it's
familiar and short, it should work.
Either the Gounod or the Strauss would be a popular choice -
but only sung them with total technical assuredness. Because
those arias are difficult and will expose any flaw in the
singer's technique. In myh opinion, beauty of tone,
personal charm, or "acting" won't make the aria work for the
audience if any technical flaws are apparent. If both were
to be sung well, I'd go witht he Strauss because it's much
shorter. Though I've heard good sopranos have difficulty
with the high note at the end of the Csardas, so make sure
you can nail it.
I come to these conclusions from having heard the above
arias (except the Massenet) on the opera stage and in many
student performance situations. If you wanted to sing
Massenet, or a French piece shorter and less technically
difficult than the Jewel Song, the Gavotte from Manon might
be a better choice, because of its showiness and
crowd-pleasing catchy tune.
I don't know the Tchaikovsky, and most listeners probably
don't either, which can be both a good thing and a bad
thing. Assuming you'd be performing it in Russian, your
Russian should be REALLY good to attempt it in a competition
setting. Language mistakes are impossible to hide, and can
make it easy for the judges to use to choose someone else to
win the contest.
Peggy
--
Margaret Harrison, Alexandria, Virginia, USA
"Music for a While Shall All Your Cares Beguile"
mailto:peggyh@i...
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