# She chooses the Baritone!



## Chi_townPhilly (Apr 21, 2007)

Anyone who's seen a few of G.B. Shaw's commentaries on music may have been exposed to his summary of a basic generic opera plot (paraphased): 'Tenor and Soprano seek to mate with one another, but are thwarted by Baritone.':lol:

I thought about that quip after emerging from a Seminar on 'Flying Dutchman,' an opera where she chooses the Baritone. I thought to myself- are there any other operas where the female lead makes such a choice? It took me longer than it should have to think of another notable example-- _Carmen_. -Duh- (on my part).(*)

I put this question up on the Metropolitan Opera Guild's 'Ask the Diva.' The site warns that the Diva is a temperamental being that won't always respond to every inquiry- and such proved to be the case with my question. I don't know why not. Too many painful personal memories?! But, ah- let us move on and not linger on any further speculation...

So- am I missing any other notable examples where she chooses the Baritone!?
(I'll even entertain some not-so-notable examples.)

*[Yeah, I know that, technically, this is a _mezzo_ choosing a Baritone... but you get my point...]


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## scytheavatar (Aug 27, 2009)

Richard Strauss's Salome and Arabella.


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## Almaviva (Aug 13, 2010)

Chi_townPhilly said:


> So- am I missing any other notable examples where she chooses the Baritone!?
> (I'll even entertain some not-so-notable examples.)


Well, here is a not-so-notable example since it's not the leading couple in the opera, but Papagena (a soprano) chooses Papageno (a baritone).

Also not exactly what you want since Figaro is a bass-baritone, but of course, Susanna picks Figaro, but the analogy is not perfect because Count Almaviva is a baritone so she is not rejecting a tenor to pick a bass-baritone.


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## mamascarlatti (Sep 23, 2009)

Don Giovanni. 
No one likes the tenor, he's a bore, even his fiancee thinks so.
Everyone wants to jump into bed with the baritone







, but nobody ever quite manages to.

War and Peace. Prince Andrei is sung by a baritone. Of course he dies, but only after the soprano has declared her love for him, so I think it counts.


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## Almaviva (Aug 13, 2010)

I was thinking about this and something struck me: how do we still have baritones today? They should be extinct. They almost never get the girl, so they can't reproduce.:lol:


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## mamascarlatti (Sep 23, 2009)

Almaviva said:


> I was thinking about this and something struck me: how do we still have baritones today? They should be extinct. They almost never get the girl, so they can't reproduce.:lol:


Dunno, but baritones are usually eye-candy for the female audience. For some reason tenors tend to be short, pudgy and undistinguished.

There's a reason why the barihunks website is so active whereas the hunkentenors seems to have fizzled out.


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## Almaviva (Aug 13, 2010)

mamascarlatti said:


> Dunno, but baritones are usually eye-candy for the female audience. For some reason tenors tend to be short, pudgy and undistinguished.
> 
> There's a reason why the barihunks website is so active whereas the hunkentenors seems to have fizzled out.


this goes to show that operatic women have really poor taste, since they always end up with the tenor.:lol:


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## sospiro (Apr 3, 2010)

mamascarlatti said:


> Dunno, but baritones are usually eye-candy for the female audience. For some reason tenors tend to be short, pudgy and undistinguished.
> 
> There's a reason why the barihunks website is so active whereas the hunkentenors seems to have fizzled out.


:scold: oy!!!!! Not Plácido KBE!!

Tenor gets the girl in at least one opera - can't remember the name


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## mamascarlatti (Sep 23, 2009)

No, Plácido and Kaufmann are merciful exceptions, and Grigolo if you like that kind of look.

I'm thinking more Ramon Vargas and Sergei Larin.


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## sospiro (Apr 3, 2010)

mamascarlatti said:


> No, Plácido and Kaufmann are merciful exceptions, and Grigolo if you like that kind of look.
> 
> I'm thinking more Ramon Vargas and Sergei Larin.


I thought Vargas was a great nerdy poet in Onegin but I couldn't fancy him.

I couldn't get hot & bothered over Marcelo Álvarez either.


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## Almaviva (Aug 13, 2010)

Chi_townPhilly said:


> So- am I missing any other notable examples where she chooses the Baritone!?
> (I'll even entertain some not-so-notable examples.)


Hey, I just found one that fits your question. Arabella rejects Matteo, a tenor, and picks Mandryka, a baritone. By the way she rejects Elemer as well, another tenor.


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## BalloinMaschera (Apr 4, 2011)

Donizetti's Alina chooses Volmar (Bar) over Seide (Ten)

Can't blame her, especially if her Volmar looks anything like the dashing Paolo Coni (1987 / Ravenna) recorded live by Nuova Era


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## Sieglinde (Oct 25, 2009)

Senta is the only sane girl in opera... and they always depict her as neurotic. 

She just has *taste*!


My operatic call-to-arms is "Glasses for Leonora!"


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## rgz (Mar 6, 2010)

If operetta counts, Eurydice blows off Orphee and Pluto for Jupiter in _Orphee aux Enfers_.


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## Sieglinde (Oct 25, 2009)

My dream Lensky would look otherwordly, fragile and dreamy...

Why don't they just cast Ian Bostridge?


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## MAuer (Feb 6, 2011)

Charlotte in "_Werther_" initially picks the baritone (Albert). But then she comes to her senses and realizes she'd rather have the tenor. Unfortunately, she's too late because he's already shot himself at that point.


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