Anne Howells, Catherine Malfitano: Ah perdonna al primo affecto

[AmiJurgl]

How can one, with an open mind... not love this?!

[pastasalademmm]

is it the recording? They sound like now and then singing under the tone, especially Servillia

[feroceferace]

Il testo sarebbe "Ah perdona, al primo affetto"... rispetto per la lingua italiana, per favore.

[mudrasings]

What superb singing. This is very beautiful.

[mason104]

jsswift says, "I think it is an awesome staging considering the text, and when they sing forehead to forehead it just kills you."

Agree, it's lovely scene, and a wonderful example. Thanks to the poster for sharing.

[Thrax1982]

There are plenty of countertenors around but they usually specialise on baroque.

[Thrax1982]

However, it would be interesting to hear the male soprano Michael Maniaci in this role.

He has performed several roles written for a soprano castrato before.

[ruggerbruno]

Question for those who know more than I: would a tenor/male ever sing the trouser role in this or any other opera? Just curious what the thinking is these days about guys singing these roles.

[75NIK93]

No, this role cannot be played by a "tenor" but by a "contreténor" or "castrato"(I don't know words in english.). His voice is very close to a "female" voice like "soprano"... There were lot of "contreténor" in mozart's day. But now, that is "sopranos" who plays roles...

[75NIK93]

not "sopranos" but "mezzosopranos"...

[olympicfreak678]

Ok, let me make things clear for eberybody who commented on this. In response to ruggerbruno: yes, tenors DO sometimes play trouser roles. But this is rather rare. Although I have never seen it myself, i hve heard of it. Such as a tenor playing Cherubino in Le Nozze di Figaro. The music is transposed though. Now what 75NIK93 said is wrong, partly. Yes, how the role of Annio is now cannot be played by a tenor. Currently the only way a male can play this is if he is a countertenor (a man who ...

[olympicfreak678]

...uses his falsetto voice in the contralto, mezzo-soprano, or soprano range). Contreténor is just the French word for countertenor. A castrato was a male who was castrated before or around puberty and then trained to sing in the contralto, mezzo-soprano, or soprano range. They did exist in the time of Mozart, but defintley not today. Today, mezzo-sopranos are the ones who usually play these trouser roles. There are some roles that call for sopranos and fewer roles that call for altos. Now ...

[olympicfreak678]

...uses his falsetto voice in the contralto, mezzo-soprano, or soprano range). Contreténor is just the French word for countertenor. A castrato was a male who was castrated before or around puberty and then trained to sing in the contralto, mezzo-soprano, or soprano range. They did exist in the time of Mozart, but defintley not today. Today, mezzo-sopranos are the ones who usually play these trouser roles. There are some roles that call for sopranos and fewer roles that call for altos. Now ...

[olympicfreak678]

...uses his falsetto voice in the contralto, mezzo-soprano, or soprano range). Contreténor is just the French word for countertenor. A castrato was a male who was castrated before or around puberty and then trained to sing in the contralto, mezzo-soprano, or soprano range. They did exist in the time of Mozart, but defintley not today. Today, mezzo-sopranos are the ones who usually play these trouser roles. There are some roles that call for sopranos and fewer roles that call for altos. Now ...

[olympicfreak678]

Annio in La Clemenza di Tito, calls for a mezzo-soprano. However, in this production they used the just-as-wonderful soprano Anne Howells. If you want to see a mezzo-soprano in a trouser role, just see Sesto in this production, played by the amazing, wonderful, miraculous mezzo-soprano Tatiana Troyanos. Also, sorry for that comment overload back there.

[silverstrand2882]

Anne Howells is a mezzo-soprano.

[jfbecks17]

I guesss it's not the performance so much as the camera just staying in one spot the whole time, considering this is a film adaptation.

[jsswift]

Right now in the opera, they are singing about how much they love each other, but how they can not be together anymore, because the emprorer has chosen her to be his wife, hence the seriousness and lack of physical movement. I think it is an awesome staging considering the text, and when they sing forehead to forehead it just kills you

[jfbecks17]

umm, good singing, a little lack of physical movement, made it kind of boring?

[nessie96]

This genre of opera is called opera seria, hence it is supposed to be a bit static...as a matter of fact, the genre was considered old hat even in Mozart's time.

[littlebutloud06]

Seriously? The passion is INTENSE!

[gninnigebymsidneym]

Isn't Anne Howells an splendid actress also? This role fits her as a glove.

[WLLover01]

Exquisite vocal technique- beautiful!

[nessie96]

Exquisite....this cast just rocks!!!

[dinacarina88]

beautiful, true sense of ensemble and so sensitive