# Interpolated High Notes



## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

Callas and Millo did them in Aida's Truimphal Scene, Callas did them in Nabucco. After this point I draw a blank. Can you think of any other examples.


----------



## DarkAngel (Aug 11, 2010)

Callas Mexico Trovatore..........opening aria sequence in garden, listen to flying note to crown the cabaletta 5:48 when most sopranos are just struggling to execute the difficult bel canto run (after conductor sets an insanely fast tempo)

Come to think of it probably every Mexico recording has some Callas wild moment when the tigress is unleashed (like the Mexico Aida)


----------



## nina foresti (Mar 11, 2014)

Verdi's Di quella pira


----------



## betterthanfine (Oct 17, 2017)

Diana Damrau in Bernstein's Glitter and Be Gay from Candide:






The note at 2.58 is sung as written, but when the same run is repeated at 4.54, she goes up even higher.


----------



## DarkAngel (Aug 11, 2010)

DarkAngel said:


> Callas Mexico Trovatore..........opening aria sequence in garden, listen to flying note to crown the cabaletta 5:48 when most sopranos are just struggling to execute the difficult bel canto run (after conductor sets an insanely fast tempo)
> 
> Come to think of it probably every Mexico recording has some Callas wild moment when the tigress is unleashed (like the Mexico Aida)


From same video to conclude opening section before cabaletta at 3:22 Maria hits high note then slides to an even higher note before skillfull descending notes to bring us back to planet earth........two for the price of one


----------



## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

The top Eb in _Sempre libera_ is unwritten, and many sopranos don't sing it (some, like Tebaldi, even transpose the whole thing down). Mind you very few sing what Verdi wrote, which is to resolve the aria on Ab on the stave rather than the one an octave above. The written ending sounds pretty lame to me, as you can hear when Scotto sings it on her recording with Muti.
Tenors also frequently transpose down _In quella pira_ to make it sound as if they have sung the unwritten top C. Personally I'd prefer it if they sang it in the correct key and sang what Verdi wrote instead.

Actually there are loads of unwritten top notes in nineteenth century Italian opera. Bonygne was for ever giving Sutherland unwritten top notes and derivatives.

Even Lucia's top Ebs in the Mad Scene are unwritten. I can't remember who was the first soprano to lower the key, so that she could add upward derivatives. Caballé sings the opera in the original keys on her recording, and omits all the top notes.

Or am I misunderstanding the OP?


----------

