I'd agree with Mariella on all her comments, except her _Faching_ of
Marguerite in FAUST. I think a lot of people make the mistake of
_faching_ both Marguerite and Juliette based on the most popular arias in
both operas; the arias would indeed suggest a Gilda-like light lyric
coloratura. But the rest of the roles demand a more powerful voice where
vocal legato/cantabile and endurance are a must. I believe both roles are
sold short if sung by anything less than a full lyric with coloratura
agility. These are not Lily Pons/Natalie Dessay roles (it's very
telling that Dessay, who is a very intelligent singer and knows her own
fach intimately and accurately - and who does occasionally slip out of
fach to sing roles like Manon and Lulu - has never sung either role) -
they are not appropriate for the same voices who sing Lakme and Ophelie.
I also agree with Mariella about the difference between the age of a
character and the required maturity for singing a role. I made the same
point in my previous email, specifically about Tosca, but I also agree
with her about Rosalinde.
Massenet's Salome, on the other hand, is a role that is very often sung by
"baby dramatics" as they first try out their wings. But if you ARE a baby
dramatic, I'd scratch my head at the inclusion of SUSANNAH and FAUST on
your list. I'd instead urge you to look at Fiordiligi for your Italian
aria, and possibly (?????) Ellen Orford in PETER GRIMES if you must have
something in English. If you need something in German, I'm thinking
something along the lines of Agathe in DER FREISCHUETZ, which at one time
was frequently the debut role of sopranos who eventually went on to
Wagner.
Karen Mercedes
............................
NEIL SHICOFF pages
http://www.radix.net/~dalila/shicoff/shicoff.html
My Own Website
http://www.radix.net/~dalila/index.html
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
+ Singers are often so fired up after a +
+ a performance, they want sex instantly. +
+ - Jilly Cooper, SCORE! +
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
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