Michelle wrote:
The Countess is not a role performed by beginners. As a character she is a mature woman, which means anything between 35 and 45 to most directors. (Mozart most certainly knew this and wrote accordingly.) Vocally this can often translate to the singer being 45 to 55 to handle the demands of the music written for it when we're talking Mozart. There is a reason Opera companies start their baby sopranos out in the roles of Cherubino, Barbarina and Marcellina before letting them loose on even Susanna.
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Though I agree that the role of the Countess requires a mature singer, I do not believe that most directors consider the character to be 35 to 45. Directors I have worked with have suggested that she is in her twenties. If she married at age 15 or so, as was common practice of her time, she could have been married for a decade and still be only 25!
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