Ulrica's aria from Act I, Sc 2 of Verdi's UN BALLO IN MASCHERA (dramatic
mezzo or contralto).
The "Black Swan" scene from Menotti's THE MEDIUM, featuring dramatic
mezzo/contralto (Baba) and lyric soprano (Monica), plus the non-vocal
(mime) role of Toby. This is one of the more chilling scenes in opera,
IMO, and features not only the ultra-creepy "Black Swan" aria sung by
Monica, but a real dramatic tour-de-force opportunity for Baba. And poor
Toby has a chance to be thoroughly terrorised without getting to utter a
word.
The duet "Things are seldom what they seem" from Gilbert & Sullivan's
H.M.S. PINAFORE - a wonderful send-up of "things mysterious" (contralto
and lyric baritone).
Not just the witches' scene from MACBETH (which may be too elaborate), but
also consider Lady M's sleepwalking scene (dramatic soprano).
The Graveyard scene from DON GIOVANNI, where the Don invites the
Commendatore's statue to dinner; alternately, the last scene of the opera
- where the Commendatore comes to dinner and Don G. gets his just
desserts. (baritone, bass-baritone, bass - if you exclude the epilogue
ensemble after Don G.'s descent into hell)
A "medley" of scenes from Marschner's DER VAMPYR - I'd suggest,
if you have a good high baritone who can handle it, you start with
Ruthven's tour-de-force aria, "Ha! Noch einen ganzen Tag...Ach! Welche
Lust", followed by the first Ruthven/Aubry scene, in which Aubry learn's
Ruthven's true nature, then Aubry's brief monologue and the second "Grand
Scena" for Ruthven and Aubry, in which Aubry determines he must betray
Ruthven's secret in order to save Malwina and Ruthven reminds him, quite
graphically, of the gruesome revenge he will visit on Aubry if Aubry goes
through with his planned betrayal, and ending with Aubry's "Madness or
death!" aria ("Ha, wie das Grauenvolle bild") following the Grand Scena.
(light lyric tenor/lyric baritone)
I'm not sure how "excerptable" it is, but you might also try excerpting
the Seventh Door from Bartok's DUKE BLUEBEARD'S CASTLE (the door behind
which Judith discover's his three previous (murdered) wives) (mezzo and
baritone).
Karen Mercedes
===
On Neil Shicoff - http://www.radix.net/~dalila/shicoff/shicoff.html
On yours truly - http://www.radix.net/~dalila/index.html
+-------------------------------------------------------+
| For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that |
| appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. |
| - James 4:14 |
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|
