# Casting of the role of La Cieca in recordings of La Gioconda



## Francasacchi (7 mo ago)

It is often undercast, or with a mezzo rather than a contralto. But it is not a comprimaria role one would think with her aria the best in the opera as far as I am concerned. The strongest casting is Oralia Dominguez in the Tebaldi recording. Sacchi (though she was still singing lead mezzo parts in small houses at the time of the recording), Maria Amadini, and Rina Cavallari represent the tradition of undercasting the part. Thoughts?


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## BBSVK (10 mo ago)

I was addicted to La Gioconda in my 20-ties, but never payed much attention to that aria.


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## ColdGenius (9 mo ago)

In one of Cerquetti's recordings La Cieca was sung by Lucia Danieli (Dani). 








Lucia Danieli


Lucia Danieli Discography at Discogs




www.discogs.com




In the video from Wien with Marton it was Margarita Lilowa. 




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en.wikipedia.org




These sparse appearances were only small part of their carriers. 
I also saw snippets from Liceu on youtube, Gioconda was Voight and Cieca was Podles.


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## BBSVK (10 mo ago)

Just checked Oralia Dominguez and it really is an improvement. 

I loved la Gioconda, but it was at that period of my life, when I had one recording of each opera and that was the end of it. I was lucky for my Gioconda to have Cerquetti, delMonaco, Simionato and Bastianini in it. But your Franca Sacchi really doesn't shine there. Undercasting is kind of weird, because that aria is a recurring motif in the opera.


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## BBSVK (10 mo ago)

Borodina sounds good. Maybe she is not a contraalto, but is comfortable with the aria, or at least my non-expert ears do not sense any effort, shake etc.


Spoiler: Borodina











Edit: This was me being defensive as usual. 
She sounds beautiful.


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## niknik (Oct 4, 2014)

My favorite cieca is Irene Companeez in Callas second Gioconda (1959)


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## Francasacchi (7 mo ago)

niknik said:


> My favorite cieca is Irene Companeez in Callas second Gioconda (1959)


She had a major contralto voice and sang lead parts such as Marfa and Malcolm. She mysteriously lost her voice and never gained it back and now lives as a recluse in a remote area of South America. There is a documentary about her. Snippets are on youtube.


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## ColdGenius (9 mo ago)

BBSVK said:


> Borodina sounds good. Maybe she is not a contraalto, but is comfortable with the aria, or at least my non-expert ears do not sense any effort, shake etc.
> 
> 
> Spoiler: Borodina


I thought she sang Laura.


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## The Conte (May 31, 2015)

What an excellent topic (and I had no idea that Dominguez was in the Tebaldi recording, no surprise that she is excellent). 

I will have to listen to my recordings, but off the top of my head Companeez would be my favourite. I don't know of the aria turning up in recitals whether live or recorded either. It really deserves to be better known. 

N.


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## BBSVK (10 mo ago)

ColdGenius said:


> I thought she sang Laura.


It is likely. But I linked her aria of La Cieca. Maybe it was for recital only. Click the Spoiler button in my comment above.


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## ColdGenius (9 mo ago)

BBSVK said:


> It is likely. But I linked her aria of La Cieca. Maybe it was for recital only. Click the Spoiler button in my comment above.


And she sounds there like the most beautiful blind girl in the world, say, Iolanta.


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## Francasacchi (7 mo ago)

ColdGenius said:


> I thought she sang Laura.


She sang the aria on a recital album


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## ColdGenius (9 mo ago)

There was a time when Borodina sang Laura onstage. La Cieca might be one of her choices later. Many mezzos sing it in recitals, though it is an ungrateful role for an opera production. It's beautiful, of course not comprimaria, but it contains one bright scene in first act, after which the singer is presumed to read cook-books until a curtain call.


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## BBSVK (10 mo ago)

ColdGenius said:


> And she sounds there like the most beautiful blind girl in the world, say, Iolanta.


And that is likely a problem. When I hear Franca Sacchi sing it (and also the begging part before the aria), I really buy it, that La Cieca is a frail old woman. At the same time, it makes me feel uncomfortable and I wait for it to be over.
The best approach would be an old but wise and majestic woman. Domingues is probably trying to do that.


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## Francasacchi (7 mo ago)

BBSVK said:


> And that is likely a problem. When I hear Franca Sacchi sing it (and also the begging part before the aria), I really buy it, that La Cieca is a frail old woman. At the same time, it makes me feel uncomfortable and I wait for it to be over.
> The best approach would be an old but wise and majestic woman. Domingues is probably trying to do that.


Irene Companeez sounds wonderful but kind of hearty. Issue is you get a young healthy voice she could sound younger than Gioconda. But the vocalization should not sound old and quavery or worn. And Sacchi was not that old when she sang the part. As I said, she became ill and the illness must have cause a premature vocal decline.


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## The Conte (May 31, 2015)

I've now had a chance to listen to all my complete Giocondas and then added Dominguez on for comparison. I agree that Amadini and Sacchi represent undercasting. Both have voices that are two thin and lack the contralto depth that the part requires.

Decca produced three good recordings of the opera (they seem to have had an obsession with it since they also released a fourth with Milanov and Di Stefano that originally appeared on RCA). The first was under Gavazzeni and features Sacchi, a great recording overall, but she is the weak link in the cast with her swooping and sopranoish tone.

Decca's all star recording from the eighties with Caballe, Pavarotti, Milnes, Baltsa and Ghiaurov is a must for any collection. La Cieca is Alfreda Hodgson and she sings with great grace and beauty and is one of the few who really makes something of the key phrase at 'A te questo rosario'. This is wonderful singing if somewhat lacking in character.

I haven't heard the Milanov/Di Stefano which features Belen Amparan, so onto the Gardelli with Tebaldi and Bergonzi. This is the one with Dominguez's La Cieca. This is a proper contralto Cieca (and it's interesting to think that she was a superb Amneris, which we think of as mezzo territory). Vocally this is a sumptious wonder and she is very touching in the early parts of the role. Her Voce di donna is a touch too formal for me though.

I also have a live recording on Immortal Performances with Farrell and Corelli where the Cieca is Mignon Dunn. This is certainly not undercast and you wouldn't be disappointed if an artist of this caliber were singing in the opera house. It's very good, but I prefer Hodgson and Dominguez.

That brings me to Callas' second Cieca and my favourite in Voce di donna. Companeez not only has the richness of vocal material, the chest voice and depth of tone, but also really makes something suitably memorable of 'A te questo rosario'. That said, I prefer Dominguez in the earlier parts of the role.

I probably would opt for Dominguez overall with a special mention for Companeez. Hodgson is runner up and benefits from such a fantastic cast overall. (What were EMI doing when they had Di Stefano, Tucker, Gobbi, Barbieri, Zaccaria and Christoff?)

This has been a really interesting exercise and has led me to listen to the Gardelli/Tebaldi Gioconda which I hope to explore further. The problem with it is that Tebaldi doesn't convince me as the dirty, Venetian street singer. It feels like they should have renamed the opera 'L'alterosa.

N.


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## Francasacchi (7 mo ago)

The Conte said:


> I've now had a chance to listen to all my complete Giocondas and then added Dominguez on for comparison. I agree that Amadini and Sacchi represent undercasting. Both have voices that are two thin and lack the contralto depth that the part requires.
> 
> Decca produced three good recordings of the opera (they seem to have had an obsession with it since they also released a fourth with Milanov and Di Stefano that originally appeared on RCA). The first was under Gavazzeni and features Sacchi, a great recording overall, but she is the weak link in the cast with her swooping and sopranoish tone.
> 
> ...


Sacchi was a blown out soprano as shown by her background in the thread on her. Amadini was a mediocre vocally comprimaria, as was Rina Cavallari in the Urania set. Amparan pretty much owned the role at Met in 50s and 60s. She has the required contralto tone but it gets unsteady on high. With Dominguez and Hodgson, it seems the record companies were trying to cast this part better. Dominguez, a mezzo, was singing more contralto roles at the time of the recording as her top was becoming more difficult. I heard Mignon Dunn in late career sing La Cieca and she stole the show vocally and dramatically In her scenes with the loud, inert, unstylish Dimitrova. And she sang her aria with much attention to dynamics.


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## Francasacchi (7 mo ago)

Francasacchi said:


> Sacchi was a blown out soprano as shown by her background in the thread on her. Amadini was a mediocre vocally comprimaria, as was Rina Cavallari in the Urania set. Amparan pretty much owned the role at Met in 50s and 60s. She has the required contralto tone but it gets unsteady on high. With Dominguez and Hodgson, it seems the record companies were trying to cast this part better. Dominguez, a mezzo, was singing more contralto roles at the time of the recording as her top was becoming more difficult. I heard Mignon Dunn in late career sing La Cieca and she stole the show vocally and dramatically In her scenes with the loud, inert, unstylish Dimitrova. And she sang her aria with much attention to dynamics.


Maybe I should start a thread on Rina Cavallari.


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## Op.123 (Mar 25, 2013)

Anna Kaskas is Cieca on the 1939 set live from the Met and is excellent.


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## BBSVK (10 mo ago)

A little off topic, but can you remind me, why did Barnaba drown La Cieca ?


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## Francasacchi (7 mo ago)

BBSVK said:


> A little off topic, but can you remind me, why did Barnaba drown La Cieca ?


He claimed she insulted him


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## Francasacchi (7 mo ago)

BBSVK said:


> A little off topic, but can you remind me, why did Barnaba drown La Cieca ?


 It is also interesting he drowned her because before he wanted her burned at the stake.


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## ColdGenius (9 mo ago)

All the history of Venice is an alternation of floods, fires and plague. But drowning anybody appears simpler than organizing a stake-burning. 
Nevertheless, it's a weird plot line. She could just sit in her part of the city, like Ulrika at her swamp, without dangling all over lagoon like the rest of the cast.


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