For Opera Buffs.. What Mezzo arias should I work on

[Cheswick2.0]

I need inspiration. I have a few Arias that I know fairly well. I would like to get to work on some new stuff, but I am having a hard time giving a damn about anything lately. Inspire me, tell me what you like.

On Edit: I am a Dramatic Mezzo/bordering on contralto

[Aristus]

1. "O Mio Babbino Caro" from Puccini's 'Gianni Schichi.'

Absolutely beautiful.

[Cheswick2.0]

2. it is

But a little light for me. I have a friend who does it beautifully.
Thanks for posting. :wave:

[stopbush]

10. Not a mezzo aria

it's for a soubrette to lyric soprano.

[Cheswick2.0]

3. gotta go to choir

see you all later

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

4. Anything from the Snow Maiden!

[rstarobi]

6. Ancient Voices of Children

Not opera, but still a very worthwhile piece of music. Or maybe Lux Aeterna, also by George Crumb - both pieces were written to the voice of Jan DeGaetani.

[newyawker99]

32. Hi rstarobi!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[ozymandius]

5. Flower Duet from Delibes' Lakme

Mallika's part is sung by a mezzo.

I must say that I am partial to just about anything by Puccini.

[ozymandius]

7. What type of opera do you like?

If you are looking for range - you might try some of the technical feats achieved by Maria Callas. You may know that she sang parts from high soprano to mezzo and from light coloratura to Wagner.

[Cheswick2.0]

17. I love all Opera, however

I have a heavier voice that Callas. I am more a Verdi mezzo/contralto in that I have a very developed chest voice ... for instance when people hear me for the first time they always ask me if I have sung Azucena, but the most comfortable part of my voice is in the dramatic or higher mezzo range.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

23. Azucena...

and the aria that I always think of as, "Oops, I Threw the Wrong Baby into the Fire."

I saw Victoria Livengood do an absolutely stunning Azucena in Portland last year.

[Cheswick2.0]

24. clearly one of the most fun of all Opera roles

I love when you introduce one of her arias and people that are not familiar gasp at the shear absurdity of what the woman sings about. First she watches her mother burned at the stake, then she convinces her "son" to kill his brother and then "oops I threw the wrong baby into the fire" (I will have to steal that discription, it is too funny).

[ozymandius]

28. Do you care for the 19th century?

Verdi's La Traviata has some dark but sparkling moments.

How do you feel about dramatic oratorio? (Just kicking some ideas around here.)

As for the modern works: Richard Einhorn's oratorio Voices of Light is a compellingly dramatic piece. I heard the Anonymous Four perform this some years ago. It still haunts me.

[Cheswick2.0]

29. I love Verdi

He wrote for my voice.

I have never heard Voices of Light. I wonder if I can find it at amazon. It sounds interesting.

[CanuckAmok]

8. Oooh, small world!

Mrs. Amok is a Mezzo Soprano, and we were talking abou the very same thing today.

[Cheswick2.0]

22. cool

where does she sing? What does she sing? I sing in a little local opera company (started too late, too busy doing musical theater)but I love it.

[stopbush]

9. O don fatale

from Verdi's Don Carlo. The motherload of mezzo arias (might be a bit high for you if you're contralto-ish).

[Cheswick2.0]

15. I can manage that one

I have the range. I love it and really should get serious about learning it for performance. Thank you.

[Plaid Adder]

11. Rape of Lucretia?

I haven't heard it in a while, but I *think* Lucretia is a mezzo. You want dramatic, they got dramatic. I love all of Britten's operas, except for *Death in Venice* and *Midsummer Night's Dream*.

C ya,

The Plaid Adder

[stopbush]

12. Anything from Camen

but I assume you're already into Carmen.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

18. My favorite mezzo aria is

"Prez des ramparts de Seville" from Carmen.

And isn't Musetta from La Boheme a mezzo as well? In that case, I cast a vote for "Musetta's Waltz."

[Cheswick2.0]

21. funny thing about Carmen

I sang it in my 30s (and beleive me I was just fooling around then because musical theatre was where I worked) and now that I am in my mid 40s, I could sing it, but really my voice has become to much of a character voice... I do great crazy people.

But I have a friend who has always sung Soprano, she was a lyric. Now in her 40s she can sing Carmen.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

13. How about "Vissi d'Arte" from Tosca?

Seems like it'd be suited to a nice rich voice...

[Cheswick2.0]

16. you know I have heard some mezzos sing that

I have alway thought it was owned by lyric sopranos. But I might work on it anyway and sing it in concert. It might hang up in the top of my range to long, but I think I will check it out.

[wryter2000]

14. Rosina

Do you do Rossini? Anything from The Barber of Seville. Una voce poco fa.

[Cheswick2.0]

19. that would be very good for me

I tend to sing the dramatic stuff to much. Una voce poco fa would force me to really work on control.

I have a recording of someone , I want to say Horne, but I am not sure, singing that aria and it is just lovely.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

20. If your voice is flexiible enough

the arias from Cenerentola (as done by Cecelia Bartoli) are very impressive.

[Malikshah]

26. Aaagh.

Sorry--I duped you w/ this

Glad to see my views corroborated by a competent authority. Sorry for the repeat :D

[Malikshah]

25. No piu mesta--from La Cenerentola

Although Bizet is great, I'm a sucker for Rossini's pieces--

Just love the final aria from his La Cenerentola (Cinderella)

Of course, I'm a bit biased as I'm a Cecilia Bartoli fan from the late 80's on...
She's not everyone's cup of tea, but after seeing her live twice in Ann Arbor...nothing stands up to her vibrancy.

Back to arias, though-- Rossini's opera buffo (Italian girl in Algiers, Turk in Italy, Cinderella are chocked full of good ones)

Vivaldi's La Sposa disprezzata is great too (sorry, again--bartoli did this in concert and brought me to tears)

[Cheswick2.0]

27. Bartoli is wonderful

What do you think of Rene Fleming? I have been listening to her a lot lately.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

30. Mention of Renee Fleming

brought to mind her album of "trouser role" songs, which is titled, "Call Me Mister."

How about a couple of Cherubino or Octavian numbers?

[REP]

31. Gluck's "Orphee et Eurydice"

"Che faro senza Eurydice" is a beautiful aria, and the role of Orpheus is written for a mezzo.

Saint-Saens's "Samson et Delilah" is perhaps the most famous score written for a mezzo, and is famously difficult. One needs excellent, excellent breath control to even attempt it, especially "Mon coeur s'ouvre a ta voix."

Rossini's "Duetto buffo di due gatti" is a lot of fun, if you have a partner.

[Cheswick2.0]

33. Mon coeur s'ouvre a ta voix...funny you should say that

I just sang it a few months ago. I don't know how well I sang it...but yes the breathing is tricky.
I am thinking of learning others from the Opera.

[CBHagman]

34. Is "Vo che sapete" too obvious?

Or too light?