Va...
I cannot believe I have been a mezzo for said amount of years and have never learned "Va..." from Werther. I mean I SAW THE OPERA at LSU but I just don't remember that aria. In all fairness I fell asleep while watching LSU's production because the performers couldn't act their way out of a paper bag as well as the fact that they were mediocre singers. The tenor that played Werther was so annoying that I WANTED him to die in the end. But as far as the aria, I've heard references to it over the years...I just never gave it a conscious thought until I mentioned that I was tired of Carmen to Summer. She then suggested "Va..." for a replacement French Aria for the Met competition in the fall. It is absolutely gorgeous and the lyrics are tres triste. ANYWAY, I'm learning it now. For the audition circuit in the fall...Santa Fe, London(yes, London) Royal Opera, Chicago Opera Theatre, Chicago Lyric, Merola, and of course the Met, these are my arias...
"O don fatale" from Verdi's Don Carlos
"Cruda Sorte" from Rossini's L'italiana en Algieres
"Va..." from Massenet's Werther
"Amour viens aider..." from Saint-Saens' Samson & Dalila
"When I am Laid in Earth" from Purcell's Dido & Aeneas
I'm keeping the Dido and Dalila because I love them. I'm getting rid of The Composer's aria (maybe) and the Carmen schtuff. I think I have quite an impressive list. Perhaps I'll get somewhere this fall with them.
I'm in the process of learning my english and german song cycles for my grad recital. My goal is to have them learned/memorized before school starts back in the fall. I was warned to do this by the opera director and my voice teacher because I wouldn't have time in the fall or spring to devote to it because of the lead roles in the big operas they have planned. THEY STILL HAVEN'T TOLD ME WHAT THE OPERAS WILL BE YET! But I'm excited about finding out.
"O don fatale" from Verdi's Don Carlos
"Cruda Sorte" from Rossini's L'italiana en Algieres
"Va..." from Massenet's Werther
"Amour viens aider..." from Saint-Saens' Samson & Dalila
"When I am Laid in Earth" from Purcell's Dido & Aeneas
I'm keeping the Dido and Dalila because I love them. I'm getting rid of The Composer's aria (maybe) and the Carmen schtuff. I think I have quite an impressive list. Perhaps I'll get somewhere this fall with them.
I'm in the process of learning my english and german song cycles for my grad recital. My goal is to have them learned/memorized before school starts back in the fall. I was warned to do this by the opera director and my voice teacher because I wouldn't have time in the fall or spring to devote to it because of the lead roles in the big operas they have planned. THEY STILL HAVEN'T TOLD ME WHAT THE OPERAS WILL BE YET! But I'm excited about finding out.