Vesselina Kasarova - La clemenza di Tito - Non più di fiori

[nicksum29]

Her lower register is chilling!

[90lysander]

I'm not usually a Kasarova fan, but I think she sounds lovely here. :)

[Dogaradodia]

And the winner is...

Vesselina Kasarova...

Best 'Non più di fiori'

[olympicfreak678]

For some reason, I imagine that Susan Graham would be good for this particular aria. I have no idea why; I just think of her voice when it gets to the pietas and the high notes. She just has a lachrymose quality sometimes that she could use to her advantage. However, she would struggle at those "chesties" that are throughout the whole piece and the Low G. Just an idea.

[londonblue123]

Kasarova convinces especially with her strength at the end of the aria. To me it is one of the more reasonable switches of singers out of their "home" pitch because it fits in a concept of a very weak Vitellia that concentrates her strength within this only aria. Nice job.

[fairlytaleofnewyork]

I love her singing this aria. She has a right voice and strengh to sing this aria.

Wonderful!

[Dogaradodia]

Certified Intergalactic!

[Glenmed]

Wonderful aria - and a thrilling voice singing it. Brava!

[stevtomato]

I love the basset horn solo! bravissimo, Trazom!

[Dogaradodia]

Almighty voice!

[rbmezzo]

¡Genial Kasarova!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1­

[Arashi110]

¡Perfectamente! :)

[SDCmorg]

I confess, this is my favorite version of this splendid rondo ever. Even with Frau Roeschmann's version on the Salzburg dvd... and she doesn't do the soprano cheat on the low G either! :o) You're right that she shouldn't attempt Vitellia on stage, tho... That murderous Act I trio is obnoxious! :o)

[SDCmorg]

..Sometimes I wonder if Mozart wrote that trio with a different sound in mind than in the rest of the role.. Have you read how Vishnevskaya explains how she'd sing Shostakovich's Katerina Izmailova with white voice on the extreme high passages? :o)

[Arashi110]

If you ask me, Mozart was a real sadist. %)

No, I'm afraid I'm not familiar with Vishnevskaya's book. And with a term 'white voice' either. Could you please explain? Is that a sort of what countertenors do?

[SDCmorg]

Would have to agree with ya' when it comes to Vitellia's music! Surprising, tho, since he usually fit his music to the voice so well. But Vitellia...there's no way anyone can sing her beautifully!

O you must find Vishnevskaya's memoir. It's called 'Galina' and is one of the best opera diva memoirs I've ever read (right up there with Astrid Varnay's). :o)

[SDCmorg]

I think 'white voice' means using minimal vibrato... like how you'd sing Baroque opera. :o) Sort of like how VK does in most of 'Che faro senza Euridice' on the 'A Portrait' CD, it really communicates 'emotional devastation', I think, especially when she contrasts it with warmer voice on the refrains. I dunno if that'd work on Vitellia's trio, tho. :o) Love how Frau Roeschmann does it... but she makes me scared for her vocal chords!

[Arashi110]

Ah, that's what I thought. There's a rendition of Serse's 'Crude furie' here on YouTube, where the singer (Paula Rasmussen) performs it with minimal vibrato. Sounds great. Hers is my fav Serse out there.

[SDCmorg]

Oooh! Good pick! I hadn't heard Rasmussen' 'Crude furie', but had been loving her 'ombra mai fu' a whole lot! :o) Handel would be so happy to see how his music is being sung so well and so successfully even more than 2 centuries later, I think. :o)

[Arashi110]

>>there's no way anyone can sing her beautifully!

It's curiously accordant with what Veselina says about Mozart:

"Mozart was the only composer I know who was actually biased against some of his characters. For those he didn't like, he wrote music that was difficult to perform, unpleasant and unflattering to the character itself."

Maybe he didn't like Vitellia, eh? ;)

[SDCmorg]

Hey, I had forgotten she said that! :o) I remember the part about Mozart loving Sesto, tho.

Maybe he didn't like Vitellia indeed. :o) I think he didn't like his oldest sister in law much either... and so Josepha got the Queen of the Night's obnoxious music to sing. Ha!

To tell the truth, I'm glad he never got around to modifying Sesto for a tenor.:o)

[Arashi110]

Yes, I really enjoyed her talking about Sesto and 'La Clemenza' in general. Very interesing.

Well, I always had a feeling that even though the Queen of the Night's music is diffucult indeed, the author rather sympathized with her. I think it's just Josepha Hofer was an outstanding singer so Mozart knew she wouldn't have major problems with the Queen of the Night's part.

[SDCmorg]

I wish she'd get around to writing more about the other roles, too. :o) Her music-talk is quite fascinating, ay?

Think you're right about him being sympathetic with the QotN... Honestly, Die Zauberfloete is almost a feministic opera, isn't it? I don't care much for Sarastro at all... and Tamino is usually boring. :o)

[Arashi110]

I find it really unfair how the opera deals with the Queen. To get her daughter away from her, to make her lose her powers... and yes, Tamino really doesn't deserve Pamina in the least. What for?!

[SDCmorg]

The story is unfair to the Queen indeed! Mozart somehow managed to make her unforgettable despite of her short stage-time, tho (especially when she's sung by the likes of Damrau!). :o) You're right about Tamino, too. Honestly he's quite useless! Even Papageno does more (and has more memorable music)... But then, I'm not a Freemason. ;oP

Another Mozart role I'd love to hear VK in, tho, is Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni. I bet she'll be marvelous! :o)

[olympicfreak678]

Oh my goodness, could you imagine the first impio she uses her chest voice for!? What a great thoguht. Mozart must have adored Nozze di Figaro then if what you say about hating his characters is true. Why would he hate Sifares, Constanza, and Fiordilgi?

[SDCmorg]

O, Arashi was quoting Kasarova rather than me there, bro. :o) I think he wrote certain characters' music in a way that 99.9% of singers can't sing it beautifully because he didn't want beautiful singing, but dramatically adept one.

To me, it doesn't mean that he disliked the character, but that he is looking for the singer to use compensatorial technique to cope with the notes that would also highlight the drama (like using different color, etc); to sound ugly or distressed or deranged... ;o)

[KatherineXIX]

I know it's been a while, but re: your comment about Mozart writing hard music for people he hated, he wrote the heinously difficult role of Fiordiligi for Da Ponte's mistress, whom he definitely didn't like...

[Arashi110]

Wow. And did she manage to sing it well?

[silvr94]

Please please tell me what the soprano-cheat? What is it??

[SDCmorg]

Oh, on this aria the low G falls on 'me', but when a soprano sings it she usually rearrange the lyric so that the G falls on an aa vowel instead (Roeschmann does it on av'ra', Gens does it on pie'ta', etc). The aa sound is easier to sing than the ae sound on extreme low notes. :o)

[silvr94]

thanks a lot!

[olympicfreak678]

whoa where's that in the recording, time wise? ARe you vocally trained?

[Arashi110]

DIiiiii meeeeee, 06:25. That's the low G. :)