# Our favourite cabaletta



## schigolch (Jun 26, 2011)

This feature of Italian Romantic Opera has always been loved by many in the audience.

Some of them, like "Di Quella Pira" or "Sempre libera" are indeed among the most popular operatic pieces of all time.
*
Which are our favourite cabalettas?*

I love so many.... This one from _Norma_ is very special for me, I've listened it often... perhaps, even too often.  (starting at 5:05):






For recent members not still fully familiar with this terminology, this would be the basic standard framework in Italian melodramma for a "scena ed aria", to be sung by a soloist, or a duet:


*Section**Poetry**Type of Music*Introduction with orchestra, choirVersi scioltiaccompagnato, seccoRecitativeVersi scioltiarioso, parlandoCantabileVersi liricilyric melodyTempo di mezzoVersi liricimodulation (changing of key), arioso, parlando*Cabaletta*Versi liriciupbeat melody, generally in fast tempo

'Versi sciolti' is the style for recitative, generally poetry written in endecasillabi' (hendecasyasicllable) or 'settenari' (heptasyllable). They are use freely, without rhyme or just the occasional rhyme. Of course, one line of verse can be divided into several characters.

However, in other sections, the poetry is usually rhymed, 'Versi lirici', using only one meter, or combining two, mainly 'settenari', 'ottonari' (eight syllables) and 'senari' (six syllables).

In case of an ensemble the schema is the same, but instead of "cabaletta" the last section receives the name of "stretta".


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## Bellinilover (Jul 24, 2013)

Thanks for all that information! Very interesting.

"Ah bello, a me ritorna" from NORMA is a favorite of mine as well, but what I really love is the "Fine al rito..." connecting section right before it -- sounds very typical of Bellini.

Other favorite cabalettas in 19th century Italian opera:
"Vien, diletto" from I PURITANI
"Spargi d'amaro pianto" from LUCIA DI LAMMERMOOR
"Ah, fu giusto il mio sospetto" (Miller) and "Ah brani, ah brani o perfido" (Luisa) from LUISA MILLER

Edited to add: So I'm guessing that something like "Every valley" from Handel's MESSIAH was the model for the Italian Romantic cabaletta?


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## BaronScarpia (Apr 2, 2014)

The way I understand it, a cabaletta is simply the more upbeat section of the two-part aria form of the 19th century. First there is the slower, more lyrical, pensive section, known as the 'cantabile' section (e.g. Nacqui all'affanno, Qui la voce, Il dolce suono), followed by the cabaletta, which often includes lots of fast coloratura phrases (Non più mesta, Vien diletto, Spargi d'amaro pianto). You could say it (cantabile-cabaletta) was a successor to the very, VERY popular recitative-aria form that dominated baroque opera. The recitatives just become more 'melodic' and accompanied by the full orchestra until they were 'legitimate' parts of the arias.

I _think _ that^^ is a simplified version of what schigolch was saying, but I may be wrong.

Overall, my favourite cantabile-cabaletta combo is È strano! è strano...Ah fors'è lui followed by Sempre libera, but if I had to pick just one cabaletta it would be Vien, diletto.


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## schigolch (Jun 26, 2011)

Yes, the creation of the cantabile and the cabaletta were part of the evolution of the aria in Italian Opera.

By late 18th century, composers of Opera Seria were using a lot ABA' format for short arias, or ABAB'A for long ones. But this finally evolved into two contrasting tempi, the first slower, more deliberate, the second faster, more aggressive. This is the origin of the two units of the Belcanto aria, the 'cantabile' and the 'cabaletta', with the gap between them (the 'tempo di mezzo') being used more and more for further advancing the action.

The repetition of the cabaletta, reprised usually after a ritornello for the orchestra, was designed to give the singer an opportunity to showcase his talent, and recreate in embellishments, before culminating with the coda. This could, or could not, be used also to stress the drama.

After the 1850s, this practice started to fall into disuse, and the omission of the cabaletta's repeat was the rule. Even Verdi himself approved of this while revising _Macbeth _in 1865.

Modern scholarship has lamented this, and now many times we do repeat the cabaletta in modern performances, though not always there is a matching effort by the singer to really sing differently the repetition, like it was originally envisaged.

In terms of using the convention to advance the drama, one of the best examples is of course Violetta's "Sempre Libera". The forced gaiety of this cabaletta makes us understand immediately that she is unhappy with her life, and ready to shelf the Baron and welcome Alfredo's love. It's also great how Verdi takes advantage of the repetition, separating the two parts with Alfredo singing "Di quell'amor".


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

The final cabaletta of Lucia can be really spectacular. Also the final one of Lucrezia Borgia.


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## deggial (Jan 20, 2013)

_Se Romeo.../La tremenda ultrice spada_ from I Capuleti e i Montecchi and _Qui la voce/Vien, dilleto_ from I puritani.


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## schigolch (Jun 26, 2011)

Though of course cabalettas (understood as discussed above as the final part of an aria and usually, but by no means always, considerably faster than the preceding number) are appearing basically in Italian Opera, there are also some examples in other national schools.

Let's consider French Opera, and one of the most beautiful pieces in this repertoire, the wonderful "Rachel quand du seigneur" from _La Juive_. The final part is a very difficult cabaletta, "Dieu m'eclaire".

We can hear one of the more interesting tenors ever performing the role, Neil Shicoff, singing from Vienna, in 1999 (the cabaletta starts at 8:00):






This is so hard to sing, especially after such a moving aria, than Shicoff, following an accident at the MET, in 2002, decided to stop performing the cabaletta.


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## Ukko (Jun 4, 2010)

I'm not an opera guy, but I use the 'New Posts' methods of reading the board. This thread title keeps asking me about ciabatta.


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## Bellinilover (Jul 24, 2013)

I just remembered what my _least_ favorite cabaletta is -- definintely the one that follows Stankar's aria in Verdi's STIFFELIO. The aria happens to be one of my favorites by Verdi; the cabaletta, on the other hand, sounds silly to me, especially those descending scales on the word "gioia."


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## schigolch (Jun 26, 2011)

This is one flamboyant example from _I Lombardi alla prima crociata_, Verdi's fourth opera. After the beautiful aria "Se vano il pregare", Giselda sings at the end of second act the cabaletta "No! No! giusta causa non è d'Iddio". She is deploring the violence inflicted by her father and the Lombard troops.

_GISELDA (quasi colpita da demenza)
No!... giusta causa - non è d'Iddio 
La terra spargere - di sangue umano; 
 È turpe insania - non senso pio 
Che all'oro destasi - del mussulmano! 
Queste del cielo - non fûr parole... 
No, Dio nol vuole - No, Dio nol vuole!

EREMITA E CORO: 
Che ascolto!

ARVINO, SOFIA: 
O misera!

GISELDA: 
Qual nera benda 
Agli occhi squarciami - forza divina! 
I vinti sorgono - vendetta orrenda 
Sta nelle tenebre - d'età vicina! 
A niuno sciogliere - fia dato l'alma 
Nel suoi 've l'aure - prime spirò! 
L'empio olocausto - di umana salma 
Il Dio degli uomini - sempre sdegnò. -

ARVINO: 
Empia!... sacrilega! -

GISELDA: 
Gioco dei venti 
Già veggo pendere - le vostre chiome; 
Veggo di barbari - sorger torrenti, 
D'Europa stringere - le genti dome! 
Ché mai non furono - di Dio parole 
Quelle onde gli Uomini - sangue versâr. 
No, Dio nol vuole - No, Dio nol vuole; 
Ei sol di pace - scese a parlar!

EREMITA: 
Ah taci, incauta.

ARVINO (cavando il pugnale): 
Possa tua morte 
Il detto sperdere - del labbro osceno!

EREMITA (fermandolo): 
Che fai? La misera - duolo ha sì forte 
Che, ben lo vedi, - ragion smarrì! -_

We can hear American soprano Lauren Flanigan singing this cabaletta:


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## mamascarlatti (Sep 23, 2009)

Ukko said:


> I'm not an opera guy, but I use the 'New Posts' methods of reading the board. This thread title keeps asking me about ciabatta.


Make sure you have it with boconccini who is of course a well-known Baroque composer.


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## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

schigolch said:


> This is one flamboyant example from _I Lombardi alla prima crociata_, Verdi's fourth opera. After the beautiful aria "Se vano il pregare", Giselda sings at the end of second act the cabaletta "No! No! giusta causa non è d'Iddio". She is deploring the violence inflicted by her father and the Lombard troops.
> 
> _GISELDA (quasi colpita da demenza)
> No!... giusta causa - non è d'Iddio
> ...


And here is the whole scene, including the cavatina, as sung by Sylvia Sass at Covent Garden in 1976, with Carreras and Gardelli. Sass was a variable singer, but here she is thrilling. Too bad Gardelli's recording was made four years before this.


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## schigolch (Jun 26, 2011)

Another example of Verdi's great ability to use the structured approach of the 'solita forma' to produce wonderful scenes, both musically and dramatically, is in the 4th act of _Il Trovatore_, with Leonora's cabaletta "Tu vedrai che amore in terra", the cantabile being the justly celebrated "D'amor sull'ali rosee" and the tempo di mezzo, the none less acclaimed "Miserere".

Sometimes the cabaletta is cut from the score, due basically to the stress it puts on the soprano singing the role of Leonora.






_ Tu vedrai che amore in terra 
mai del mio fu più forte
vinse il fato in aspra guerra, 
vincerà la stessa morte. 
O col prezzo di mia vita 
la tua vita io salverò, 
o con te per sempre unita 
nella tomba io scenderò.

_


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## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

schigolch said:


> Another example of Verdi's great ability to use the structured approach of the 'solita forma' to produce wonderful scenes, both musically and dramatically, is in the 4th act of _Il Trovatore_, with Leonora's cabaletta "Tu vedrai che amore in terra", the cantabile being the justly celebrated "D'amor sull'ali rosee" and the tempo di mezzo, the none less acclaimed "Miserere".
> 
> Sometimes the cabaletta is cut from the score, due basically to the stress it puts on the soprano singing the role of Leonora.
> 
> ...


And also because most sopranos from the _verismo_ age simply didn't have the technique to sing it. Leonora may need a reasonably large lirico spinto voice, but it is still a _bel canto_ role. Most singers of the role would either gloss over or totally ignore the majority of its filigree, which is why, when Callas sang it, contemporary critics said it was like hearing the music for the first time.


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

I can't say I have a favorite cabaletta, but I'm amused by the fact that the term is thought to derive from the word for "horse" (Italian _cavallo_, Spanish _caballo_), in reference to its typical galloping rhythm. I like to think of a "little horse," especially when the singer is rather, shall we say, large.


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## schigolch (Jun 26, 2011)

The origin of the word "cabaletta" is not completely clear, and there are different opinions, though its derivation from 'cavallo' it's indeed a strong possibility ...

While we can find many different renditions of Pollione's cavatina, "Meco all'altar di Venere", and with different sensibilities at play, it should be clear than the cabaletta, "Me protegge, me difende" is the right part of the opera from Pollione to display his more heroic side.

However, we can find here two quite distinct performances here. First, Gregory Kunde singing with a period orchestra under the baton (or rather, the hands) of Fabio Biondi, starting at 6:03 and repeating the cabaletta. Second, a typical performance from the 1950s, by Franco Corelli, starting at 5:40 and without repetition:


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

schigolch said:


> The origin of the word "cabaletta" is not completely clear, and there are different opinions, though its derivation from 'cavallo' it's indeed a strong possibility ...
> 
> While we can find many different renditions of Pollione's cavatina, "Meco all'altar di Venere", and with different sensibilities at play, it should be clear than the cabaletta, "Me protegge, me difende" is the right part of the opera from Pollione to display his more heroic side.
> 
> However, we can find here two quite distinct performances here. First, Gregory Kunde singing with a period orchestra under the baton (or rather, the hands) of Fabio Biondi, starting at 6:03 and repeating the cabaletta. Second, a typical performance from the 1950s, by Franco Corelli, starting at 5:40 and without repetition:


For me the only difference that really matters here is that one of these tenors has the vocal goods to give me goosebumps and the other does not. Kunde may be singing with a period orchestra, but it's hard for me to imagine this weighty vocalism, with its slow, inconsistent vibrato, as something that would have been admired in Bellini's day. I realize the singer is not young here - but Corelli clearly is, and his fresh, free, consistently vibrant tone is thrilling. He goes a bit sharp in one passage, but gives us some nice touches of portamento. A consistent vocal tone that rides effortlessly on the breath, allied with a firm legato, is basic material for bel canto singing, regardless of a singer's interpretation. Period or not, Corelli is here closer to the real thing.


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## schigolch (Jun 26, 2011)

Well, in Bellini's own times, the tenors were singing in falsettone the high notes. The first Pollione himself, Domenico Donzelli, was using this technique for anything above a G3. Also, Bellini wanted for the role not Donzelli, but Rubini, only he was not available for the premiere (later, Rubini sang the role at Théâtre des italiens, with Bellini already dead), and he adapted the role to Donzelli's voice. So, I don't think that Corelli was particularly close to the "real thing", at least if by this we understand Bellini's plans.

Personally, I admire the Biondi brothers's philological approach to the score, but in terms of singing Pollione, I prefer to look for middle ground, like Bergonzi (though he never took the optional high C in the cavatina) or Pavarotti (though he never sang the role on stage).

This is "A brani, a brani o perfido", sung by the soprano in Act 2 of Verdi's L_uisa Miller._ Wurm, the bad guy and in love with Luisa, forces her to write a letter announcing their engagement, or he will torture her father, already in prison under orders from Count Walter. It comes after the splendid cantabile "Tu puniscimi o signore":

_LUISA
A brani, a brani, o perfido 
il cor tu m'hai squarciato! 
Almen t'affretta a rendermi 
il padre, il padre sventurato. 
Di morte il fero brivido 
tutta m'invade omai. 
Mi chiuda almeno i rai 
la man del genitore!

WURM 
Coraggio: il tempo è farmaco 
d'ogni cordoglio umano. 
Di stringer la tua mano 
speranza nutro ancor. 
_






We can hear above the Italian soprano Katia Ricciarelli.


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## DarkAngel (Aug 11, 2010)

Anna Bolena - Coppia Iniqua
Nabucco - Salgo Gia

As the unfortunate queen Anna Bolena is about to meet the executioner betrayed by her best friend Lady Seymour and the unfaithful king she unleashes a venomous condemnation of the "wicked couple"

Abigaille is convinced by followers to overthrow her father and assume the throne of blood by force, a shattering climax and furious orchestra run-off usually sends crowd into a frenzy (with the right dramatic soprano)


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

schigolch said:


> Well, in Bellini's own times, the tenors were singing in falsettone the high notes. The first Pollione himself, Domenico Donzelli, was using this technique for anything above a G3. Also, Bellini wanted for the role not Donzelli, but Rubini, only he was not available for the premiere (later, Rubini sang the role at Théâtre des italiens, with Bellini already dead), and he adapted the role to Donzelli's voice. So, I don't think that Corelli was particularly close to the "real thing", at least if by this we understand Bellini's plans.
> 
> Personally, I admire the Biondi brothers's philological approach to the score, but in terms of singing Pollione, I prefer to look for middle ground, like Bergonzi (though he never took the optional high C in the cavatina) or Pavarotti (though he never sang the role on stage).


"A consistent vocal tone that rides effortlessly on the breath, allied with a firm legato, is basic material for bel canto singing, regardless of a singer's interpretation. Period or not, Corelli is here closer to the real thing."

That (quoting myself) is what I meant by "the real thing." I'm aware that tenors didn't take the high notes full voice in Bellini's day. That's interesting historically but not relevant to a comparison of two modern tenors. I'm just saying that in these performances, Corelli's vocal production, and the legato he employs, are closer to my ideal of bel canto singing than what I heard Kunde doing. "Bel canto," in this sense, transcends period; even Wagner should be sung bel canto, which is not a period style but, as Callas insisted, "a schooling," a way of training the voice to be free, consistent, and capable of easy flexibility, dynamic control, and a firm legato line. As a musician, Corelli could be a bit of a brute; later in his career I found him hard to take. But in his prime, the vocal excellence was undeniable.


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## Sloe (May 9, 2014)

DarkAngel said:


> Anna Bolena - Coppia Iniqua
> Nabucco - Salgo Gia
> 
> As the unfortunate queen Anna Bolena is about to meet the executioner betrayed by her best friend Lady Seymour and the unfaithful king she unleashes a venomous condemnation of the "wicked couple"


This most be my favourite cabbaletta too. The cabbaletta also provides greatly to the effect and the ending of Anna Bolena is very effective. Seeing Anna Bolena convinced me that Henry VIII was the most evil man in history and the ending of Anna Bolena is one out of two scenes in opera that have made me cry.


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## schigolch (Jun 26, 2011)

Donizetti's _La Favorita _is not a very performed opera today, but it was hugely popular until well into the 1970s, more in the Italian than in the French version.

The big Opera House in Madrid, Teatro Real, opened with an staging of L_a Favorita,_ precisely, back in 1850, this is a piece taking place in 14th-century Castile.

This is a cabaletta "Scritto in cielo e il mio dolor!" written for Leonora, the mistress ('la favorita') of Alphonse, the King of Castile. We can hear one of the great stalwarts of the role, the Italian mezzo Fiorenza Cossotto:






_ Scritto in cielo é il mio dolor. 
Su, venite alla fasta, 
sparsa l'ara sia di fior! 
Già la tomba a me s'appresta; 
ricoperta in negro vel 
sia la trista fidanzata 
che reietta, disperata. 
non avrà perdono in ciel. 
Maledetta, disperata. 
non avrà perdono in ciel, 
no, no, non avrà! 
Maledetta, disperata, 
non avrà....ecc. 
Ah, crudeli! - e chi v'arresta? 
Scritto in cielo é il mio dolor! 
Vieni, crudele! Ah! vien! 
Scritto in ciel e il mio dolor! 
Su, venite! Ell'e una festa, 
sparsa l'ara sia di fior! 
Già la tomba a me s'appresta, 
e, coperta in negro vel 
sia la trista fidanzata, 
che, reietta, disperata, 
non avrà perdono in ciel 
Maledetta, disperata, 
non avrà perdono in ciel!..._


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## deggial (Jan 20, 2013)

schigolch said:


> This is a cabaletta "Scritto in cielo e il mio dolor!" written for Leonora, the mistress ('la favorita')


a great one! I must listen to _La favorita_ again.


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## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

schigolch said:


> Donizetti's _La Favorita _is not a very performed opera today, but it was hugely popular until well into the 1970s, more in the Italian than in the French version.
> 
> The big Opera House in Madrid, Teatro Real, opened with an staging of L_a Favorita,_ precisely, back in 1850, this is a piece taking place in 14th-century Castile.
> 
> ...


Love this cabaletta too, though my personal favourite would be this one with Agnes Baltsa. The cabaletta starts around 5'05


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## schigolch (Jun 26, 2011)

In a very short time by his usual standards, Vincenzo Bellini wrote_ I Capuleti e i Montecchi _(borrowing heavily from _Zaira_ and _Adelson e Salvini_), to be premiered at Venice, in 1830.

Romeo was a trouser role, written for a female low voice, and trusted to Giuditta Grisi, the sister of Giulia (the first Adalgisa).

In our days, Romeo is usually sung by a mezzo, though there is even a rewritten version for tenor. But we will stick to Bellini's original intention and hear this bellicose cabaletta, "La tremenda ultrice spada", sung by Romeo accepting the challenge of the Capuleti, in the voice of Elina Garanca (from 4:15):


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## schigolch (Jun 26, 2011)

The 'solita forma', also known as the 'Rossini code', was of course the preferred procedure to organize lyric numbers in operatic performance, since the times of _Tancredi_, to late Verdi.

But this was indeed a living arrangement, far from being the cause of a supposed "stagnation of scenic design", as some of the critics of the period had emphasized.

Donizetti wrote this cabaletta "Onta eterna?......Io non t'amai!" for the 'finale' of _Maria di Rohan_. However, it was not sung at the premiere, in order to provide a supposedly more dramatic ending, with Maria looking at the sky, kneeling, imploring with her hands, while his husband cries "La vita coll'infamia a te, donna infidel".


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## schigolch (Jun 26, 2011)

Arguably the most famous cabaletta ever, "Di Quella Pira" is sung by Manrico, in Act 3 of _Il Trovatore_, after the wonderful cantabile "Ah si, ben mio". Manrico is informed by Ruiz that her mother is at the stake, and about to be burned, and he runs to her rescue... or rather, to his undoing.

_ Di quella pira l'orrendo foco
Tutte le fibre m'**** avvampò!...
Empi spegnetela, o ch'io tra poco
Col sangue vostro la spegnerò...
Era già figlio prima d'amarti
Non può frenarmi il tuo martir.
Madre infelice, corro a salvarti,
O teco almeno corro a morir!
_
Of course, a major anecdote on this cabaletta are the high Cs introduced by the tenor Enrico Tamberlik (some say it was really Carlo Baucardé, and not Tamberlik), and not written by Verdi, but that since this moment, were considered a must for all tenors singing the role. As the ideal voice for Manrico is a spinto (though a lyrical tenor can be also effective), some of these tenors usually get a strong center but it's difficult for them to reach a high C, so this was a recipe for problems singing the cabaletta.

Let's hear the young Jussi Björling:


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## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

schigolch said:


> Arguably the most famous cabaletta ever, "Di Quella Pira" is sung by Manrico, in Act 3 of _Il Trovatore_, after the wonderful cantabile "Ah si, ben mio". Manrico is informed by Ruiz that her mother is at the stake, and about to be burned, and he runs to her rescue... or rather, to his undoing.
> 
> _ Di quella pira l'orrendo foco
> Tutte le fibre m'**** avvampò!...
> ...


Poor Domingo got into such hot water at Covent Garden, when he admitted the top Cs were beyond him and that, as Verdi hadn't written them, he would not be attempting them.

I was at one of the performances and some people booed, which I thought terribly boorish, especially after he had sung a well nigh perfect _Ah si, ben mio_. He actually sang _Di quella pira_ very well too, albeit without the unwritten high Cs.


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## deggial (Jan 20, 2013)

schigolch said:


> In our days, Romeo is usually sung by a mezzo, though there is even a rewritten version for tenor.


I heard Jaume Aragall's version and err, no contest against a good mezzo's. Although not many mezzos do justice to _La tremenda ultrice spada_.


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## schigolch (Jun 26, 2011)

The high C in "Di quella pira" has been a hot issue for tenors such a long time... There is a nice CD edited by "Il mito dell'Opera" about the cabaletta:










performed by 34 historical tenors. If my memory serves me well, there were quite a few that were not taking the high C, among them people like Caruso, Zenatello, Slezak, Martinelli, Pertile, Cortis, Merli... Then again, it's a long time since I heard the recording, so don't take my word for it.


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## schigolch (Jun 26, 2011)

By the time of the first _Simon Boccanegra _premiere, in 1857, the cabaletta was already on the wane. In fact, of all numbers in the opera, there was only one including a cabaletta, "Come in quest'ora bruna".

Here we can hear this number, with the cabaletta "Il palpito deh frena" starting at 5:00






Verdi deleted the cabaletta in the 1881 Boccanegra version.


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## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

schigolch said:


> By the time of the first _Simon Boccanegra _premiere, in 1857, the cabaletta was already on the wane. In fact, of all numbers in the opera, there was only one including a cabaletta, "Come in quest'ora bruna".
> 
> Here we can hear this number, with the cabaletta "Il palpito deh frena" starting at 5:00
> 
> ...


Though, even as late as *Otello* Verdi would return to the cabaletta if it served his dramatic purpose. Surely Otello and Iago's _Si pel ciel_ is no more than our old friend the cabaletta, though now so thoroughly wound into the fabric of the score that we barely notice it.

Here sung by Vickers and MacNeil at the Met.


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## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

schigolch said:


> By the time of the first _Simon Boccanegra _premiere, in 1857, the cabaletta was already on the wane. In fact, of all numbers in the opera, there was only one including a cabaletta, "Come in quest'ora bruna".
> 
> Verdi deleted the cabaletta in the 1881 Boccanegra version.


And he was right to I think.


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## stevenski (Oct 19, 2011)

We should have a stretta(ie, end of act chorus and singers and orchestra) thread!What is the longest stretta, with or without repeated blocks!?They can be almost hysterically exciting; and are too often badly cut.The ones with suspended chords, the orchestra dragging against singers and chorus, are the best; an early one appears at the end of Haydn's "The heavens are Telling Chorus in "The Creation" but, typically,are Bellini, Donizetti,early/mid Verdi, Spontini etc(I don't like Rossini; they sound ridiculously formulaic , even for a stretta lol).Stretti are great for expressing out-of-control emotions but often cross, like cabaletti, the line into camp overstatement, which is a sort of inverted bathos, because the means(the romping rythyms and melodies) don't always reflect the (sometimes tragic) dramatic/lyric content!Steve


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## Bellinilover (Jul 24, 2013)

stevenski said:


> We should have a stretta(ie, end of act chorus and singers and orchestra) thread!What is the longest stretta, with or without repeated blocks!?They can be almost hysterically exciting; and are too often badly cut.The ones with suspended chords, the orchestra dragging against singers and chorus, are the best; an early one appears at the end of Haydn's "The heavens are Telling Chorus in "The Creation" but, typically,are Bellini, Donizetti,early/mid Verdi, Spontini etc(I don't like Rossini; they sound ridiculously formulaic , even for a stretta lol).Stretti are great for expressing out-of-control emotions but often cross, like cabaletti, the line into camp overstatement, which is a sort of inverted bathos, because the means(the romping rythyms and melodies) don't always reflect the (sometimes tragic) dramatic/lyric content!Steve


My favorite stretta is probably the one that ends Act II of LUCIA DI LAMMERMOOR -- the _uncut_ version of the stretta, that is. The performance on the 1971 Bonynge/Sutherland recording is thrilling!


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## schigolch (Jun 26, 2011)

A stretta is the same, structurally speaking, as a cabaletta. The only difference is that the cabaletta is sung by a soloist, while the stretta is an ensemble number. In the case of a duet, both names can be used interchangeably.

For instance, at the beginning of _Luisa Miller_, after the initial chorus of citizens singing the praise of Luisa, the young woman starts singing "Lo vidi, e'l primo palpito", and then a stretta follows (at 3:15) with Luisa herself, Rodolfo and Miller. We can watch the scene in this youtube from a Covent Garden's performance with Katia Ricciarelli (Luisa), Plácido Domingo (Rodolfo) and Renato Bruson (Miller):


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## schigolch (Jun 26, 2011)

GregMitchell said:


> And he was right to I think.


Well, that clearly was what Verdi thought at the moment. 

Personally, I like a lot both solutions.

Originally, after "Come in quest'ora bruna", in which Amelia wonders about the absence of Gabriele, we can hear in the tempo di mezzo Gabriele himself singing offstage "Cielo di stelle orbato", and then Amelia is filled with joy in the beautiful, and difficult cabaletta. For the 1881 version, we just have an outburst from Amelia, leading directly to the duet. A more fluent action, indeed, and the dramatic action was better aligned with the mood of the 1880s. But, in my view, the old arrangement was also a fine achievement.


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## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

Bellinilover said:


> My favorite stretta is probably the one that ends Act II of LUCIA DI LAMMERMOOR -- the _uncut_ version of the stretta, that is. The performance on the 1971 Bonynge/Sutherland recording is thrilling!


This is my favourite stretta and I doubt anyone has sung it with such intensity as Callas does here.


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## Marschallin Blair (Jan 23, 2014)

> Originally Posted by Bellinilover View Post
> 
> My favorite stretta is probably the one that ends Act II of LUCIA DI LAMMERMOOR -- the uncut version of the stretta, that is. The performance on the 1971 Bonynge/Sutherland recording is thrilling!
> 
> GregMitchell: This is my favourite stretta and I doubt anyone has sung it with such intensity as Callas does here.


Pure greatness. . . and topped off with three seconds of self-assertive bliss at 03:33-03:36--- one of my favorite Callas cuts of all time.


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## stevenski (Oct 19, 2011)

The ending of the"Anna" stretta has those odd, sidetugging harmonies in the orchestra(and possibly choir) I spoke of, which send goosepimples down you; I just don't want them to end; of course they then degenerate into what are essentially Mozartian end of cabaletta/stretta/act sequences, down one note of the scale at a time, a slight anticlimax


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## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

stevenski said:


> The ending of the"Anna" stretta has those odd, sidetugging harmonies in the orchestra(and possibly choir) I spoke of, which send goosepimples down you; I just don't want them to end; of course *they then degenerate into what are essentially Mozartian end of cabaletta/stretta/act sequences, down one note of the scale at a time, a slight anticlimax*


... but when sung by a Callas, who cares?


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## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

Marschallin Blair said:


> Pure greatness. . . and topped off with three seconds of self-assertive bliss at 03:33-03:36--- one of my favorite Callas cuts of all time.


A superb and secure top D, and this in 1957, when she was supposed to be in vocal decline.


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## Marschallin Blair (Jan 23, 2014)

> Originally Posted by stevenski View Post
> 
> The ending of the"Anna" stretta has those odd, sidetugging harmonies in the orchestra(and possibly choir) I spoke of, which send goosepimples down you; I just don't want them to end; of course they then degenerate into what are essentially Mozartian end of cabaletta/stretta/act sequences, down one note of the scale at a time, a slight anticlimax
> 
> ...


Even her 'mistakes' are an irreparable loss to the world.


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## Marschallin Blair (Jan 23, 2014)

> Originally Posted by Marschallin Blair View Post
> 
> Pure greatness. . . and topped off with three seconds of self-assertive bliss at 03:33-03:36--- one of my favorite Callas cuts of all time.
> 
> GregMitchell: A superb and secure top D, and this in 1957, when she was supposed to be in vocal decline.


How can I pay attention to critics? I can't even ignore them when that top D is daisy-cutting everything before it.


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## schigolch (Jun 26, 2011)

Although it has been argued that Rossini was the inventor of cabaletta (hence, the Rossini code), the reality is that around 1810, when he started his career, this feature was already something that was being developed at the same time by other composers of the period, and was not fully established until the early 1820s. Of course, as Rossini rapidly became the dominant force in Italian opera, the next generation just tended to refer everything to him.

The piece that ensured Rossini's predominance, and the enthronement of the cabaletta, was the hugely popular cabaletta from _Tancredi,_ "Di tanti palpiti".

_Di tanti palpiti,
Di tante pene,
Da te mio bene,
Spero mercé.
Mi rivedrai...
Ti rivedrò...
Ne' tuoi bei rai
Mi pascerò.
Deliri - Sospiri...
Accenti - Contenti!...
Sarà felice - Il cor mel dice,
Il mio destino - Vicino a te.
_

Let's hear one rendition from Italian mezzo Daniela Barcellona ("Di tanti palpiti" starts at 4:10):






Curiously enough, the role of Tancredi was created by the great alto Adelaide Melanotte, and she considered that "Di tanti palpiti" (and the cantabile "Tu che accendi questo core") was too easy for her, and she requested an alternative piece. Rossini complied, and wrote "O sospirato lido… Dolci d´amor parole":


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## schigolch (Jun 26, 2011)

"Contenta appien quest'alma" is a cabaletta written by Bellini for _Bianca e Fernando_. We can listen to it in the youtube below, starting at 3:00






It sounds familiar, right?

Of course, it was the basis for the later, and splendid, cabaletta in _Norma,_ ""Bello a me ritorna". We can listen to Cristina Deutekom's rendition. The cabaletta starts at 7:00


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## DarkAngel (Aug 11, 2010)

schigolch said:


> "Contenta appien quest'alma" is a cabaletta written by Bellini for _Bianca e Fernando_. We can listen to it in the youtube below, starting at 3:00
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Very obvious "borrow" from another work at 3:00 mark of 1st youtube..........

wonderful sequence of arias in Norma: Casta diva -> fine al rito -> bello a me ritorna


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## schigolch (Jun 26, 2011)

"Si voli il primo a cogliere", from Donizetti's _Lucrezia Borgia_, is a rarely heard cabaletta, that is not present in the standard editions issued by Ricordi. Montserrat Caballé, with her penchant for unusual pieces, disinterred this one back in 1966, for the recording with Perlea, but she never sang it live in the theater. It seems Donizetti wrote this cabaletta either for Giulia Grisi or Erminia Frizzolini.

Starting at 11:40


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## schigolch (Jun 26, 2011)

After the charming cantabile "O nube!", the singer performing Maria Stuarda must tackle this energetic cabaletta, "Nella pace del mesto riposo", an interesting contrast between the pure joy of being alive in "O nube!" and the terror before the incoming clash with Queen Elizabeth, in the cabaletta.

This is a superb version by Joan Sutherland:


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## schigolch (Jun 26, 2011)

One restrained and 'slow' cabaletta is the very famous "Tu che a Dio spiegasti l'ali" from _Lucia di Lammermoor_, Edgardo's final number, during which he stabs himself.

Let's hear José Carreras in a rendition of the role from the 1980s:


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## schigolch (Jun 26, 2011)

Giovanni Pacini was known as 'il maestro della cabaletta'. Let's find out if the title was deserved listening to this nice aria, "Ciel, quest' amara lagrima" from _Maria Regina d'Inghilterra_, sung by the Romanian soprano Nelly Miricioiu. Pacini was one to joyfully play with the formal structures of the 'solita forma', but we can easily identify here a cabaletta starting at 5:10:


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## schigolch (Jun 26, 2011)

From Saverio Mercadante's _Elena da Feltre_, let's hear this cabaletta: "Ma trema, infame":


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## schigolch (Jun 26, 2011)

Adriano's cavatina (including the cabaletta, starting at 6:07), from Giacomo Meyerbeer's brilliant Italian opera, _Il crociato in Egitto_.


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## schigolch (Jun 26, 2011)

This aria for Imogene, "Col sorriso d'innocenza" is arguably one of the most beautiful numbers ever written by Bellini. In the voice of Maria Callas, we can hear the cantabile, tempo di mezzo and the cabaletta, "Oh, sole! ti vela" (starting at 5:25).


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## DarkAngel (Aug 11, 2010)

Even more vibrant rendition of Callas Il Pirata cabaletta from the 1959 live Amsterdam concert......








wonderful mad scence studio recital CD containing three extended mad scences conducted by Rescigno that includes Il Pirata sequence, absolutey essential listening


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## DarkAngel (Aug 11, 2010)




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## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

schigolch said:


> This aria for Imogene, "Col sorriso d'innocenza" is arguably one of the most beautiful numbers ever written by Bellini. In the voice of Maria Callas, we can hear the cantabile, tempo di mezzo and the cabaletta, "Oh, sole! ti vela" (starting at 5:25).


A shame this clip doesn't include the orchestral introduction with Callas emoting all the way through it, her face a mirror of every fleeting thought.


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## schigolch (Jun 26, 2011)

_Caterina di Guisa_ is an opera by Carlo Coccia, with a libretto by Felice Romani, premiered at La Scala in 1833, with great success.

In Act 2, after Caterina sings her great aria, "Lascia in prima", we can hear the final scene with Caterina herself and his husband, the Duca, "Ah! m'uccidi ed il sangue versato":


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## amina (May 6, 2014)

GregMitchell said:


> A shame this clip doesn't include the orchestral introduction with Callas emoting all the way through it, her face a mirror of every fleeting thought.


You can see the complete aria with introduction on this video, starting at 42.20:


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## JohnGerald (Jul 6, 2014)

If one can find Diana Damrau doing 
O luce di quest' anima from Donizetti's Linda di Chamounix, I believe it qualifies as one of the best of the maestro's. My version is on a "pirate DVD", but there is a commercial CD of the opera with Mariella Devia, which features an exciting rendition of the piece.


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## schigolch (Jun 26, 2011)

Yes, Donizetti added "Oh, luce di quest'anima" to _Linda di Chamounix _for the Paris's premiere, with the soprano Fanny Tacchinardi-Persiani, to showcase her singing talents (the original Linda, Eugenia Tadolini, was also a very well regarded singer in the early 1840s). This tyrolienne is not so rare in recitals, though _Linda di Chamounix _itself is not a frequently staged opera. Quite a few sopranos have recorded the piece. Among them, of course, Diana Damrau:


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## schigolch (Jun 26, 2011)

Lauro Rossi (1812-1885) was born in Macerata, where the Opera House there is called precisely Teatro Lauro Rossi. He wrote some thirty operas, and some of them were relatively succesful. Recently, there were some performances of _Cleopatra_, sung by Dimitra Theodossiou, and a DVD was also recorded.

But in this post we are going to hear an aria from _Amelia,_ an opera that Rossi wrote for the great star María Malibrán. The diva not only sang, but also danced.

Jennifer Larmore sings "L'alma mia che in Adolfo", the cabaletta starts at 5:50.


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## JohnGerald (Jul 6, 2014)

The cabaletta that follows O mon Fernand from La Favorite (the name escapes me) was sung so well and so powerfully by Jamie Barton at the 2012 Richard Tucker Gala (PBS) that I thought that our wine glasses would shatter! It's a shame that the opera remains unavailble in a quality HD DVD. Here's the link:






This is the entire piece; cavatina followed by cabaletta.


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## schigolch (Jun 26, 2011)

The second scene of Vincenzo Bellini's _Beatrice di Tenda _is a splendid duet between Orombello and Agnese, that reaches it climax in this cabaletta, "E la mia?... la mia... spietato!", where Agnese in an 'allegro giusto' explains to Orombello that she should kill her love for him before she can even starts to feel pity for Beatrice. The young man's reply doesn't move Agnese, that angrily dismiss him.

We can hear a version with Josella Ligi (Agnese) and Vincenzo La Scola (Orombello), from La Scala in 1993 (starts at 2:40):






AGNESE 
E la mia?... la mia... spietato! 
Nulla è dunque agli occhi tuoi? 
Ah! L'incendio in me destato 
Spegni in pria, se tu lo puoi... 
Fa che un'ombra, un sogno sia 
La mia pena e. L'onta mia... 
Ed allora… allor capace 
Di pietà per lei sarò.

OROMBELLO 
M'odi, ah! M'odi.. ah! Tu non sei 
Né oltraggiata, né schernita. 
Per calmarti io spenderei 
Il mio sangue, la mia vita... 
Ma perdona se costretto 
Da potente immenso affetto 
Tutto il prezzo del tuo core 
Il mio cor sentir non può.

AGNESE 
Sventurata! piu ben, 
piu pace, piu contento 
Io no avro, piu contento.


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## schigolch (Jun 26, 2011)

In the splendid recitative 'Ella mi fu rapita! ' and the beautiful cantabile 'Parmi veder le lagrime', the Duca experiences his only moment of remorse, of devotion, even melancholy, in Verdi's _Rigoletto_.

However, when he is confirmed that Gilda is in fact secured in his palace, he recovers his usual self and sings the jubilant cabaletta "Possente amor mi chiama". This electrifyng passage was traditionally cut during many years, for no real valid reason, in my view:


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## JohnGerald (Jul 6, 2014)

Ah yes! And I recall when the first complete Rigoletto issued on LP with Renato Cioni as the Duke and I heard this for the first time. It was the first uncut version ever recorded, as I recall, and I remember being angry that listners had been denied these great numbers because of someone's idea of artistic censorship. What exciting stuff!


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## DarkAngel (Aug 11, 2010)

schigolch said:


> In the splendid recitative 'Ella mi fu rapita! ' and the beautiful cantabile 'Parmi veder le lagrime', the Duca experiences his only moment of remorse, of devotion, even melancholy, in Verdi's _Rigoletto_.
> 
> However, when he is confirmed that Gilda is in fact secured in his palace, he recovers his usual self and sings the jubilant cabaletta "*Possente amor mi chiama*". This electrifyng passage was traditionally cut during many years, for no real valid reason, in my view:


Nice.....so many great arias in that opera, have pulled it out for listen to now pile


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## DarkAngel (Aug 11, 2010)

schigolch said:


> Lauro Rossi (1812-1885) was born in Macerata, where the Opera House there is called precisely Teatro Lauro Rossi. He wrote some thirty operas, and some of them were relatively succesful. Recently, there were some performances of _Cleopatra_, sung by Dimitra Theodossiou, and a DVD was also recorded.
> 
> But in this post we are going to hear an aria from _Amelia,_ an opera that Rossi wrote for the great star María Malibrán. The diva not only sang, but also danced.
> 
> Jennifer Larmore sings "*L'alma mia che in Adolfo*", the cabaletta starts at 5:50.


I was unaware of that opera, but love that sequence by Larmore, there is an opera rara label collection that features this aria


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## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

schigolch said:


> In the splendid recitative 'Ella mi fu rapita! ' and the beautiful cantabile 'Parmi veder le lagrime', the Duca experiences his only moment of remorse, of devotion, even melancholy, in Verdi's _Rigoletto_.
> 
> However, when he is confirmed that Gilda is in fact secured in his palace, he recovers his usual self and sings the jubilant cabaletta "Possente amor mi chiama". This electrifyng passage was traditionally cut during many years, for no real valid reason, in my view:


I'm not sure I'd call it electrifying, and Budden agrees with me, though he thinks cutting it unjustified.

_True it is an ugly piece of music, scored very much in the style of Verdi's youth; also it is an old-fashioned cabaletta-in-parnethesis delivered just at the moment when the singer might be expected to have left the stage. On the other hand its omission results in a jarring harmonic non sequitur, with the half close of the dominant D major leading nowhere. Finally, the cabaletta is necessary to redress the formal and psychological balance of the scene and to make it clear in musical terms what kind of man the Duke really is._

Julian Budden in *The Operas of Verdi, Vol 1*.

Personally, its omission bothers me far less, as I'm pretty sure we know just what kind of character the Duke is already. That said, I take Budden's point about the jarring key progression.


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## JohnGerald (Jul 6, 2014)

While I have, have read and respect Budden, I believe that he is a creature of his times, meaning that "good Opera" meant late Verdi, verismo and Wagner (an obvious overstatement, I know). His Operas of Verdi preceeded the Bel Canto Renaissance to a large extent. I prefer Phil Gossett's approach to musical scholarship, which embraces, as far as I can tell, the totality of opera composition, exclusive of verismo and Wagner.

My admittedly limited understanding of the cavatina/cabaletta dynamic is that the former is used to exposit the singer's present emotional state, and that the cabaletta is action oriented. As an example, Manrico sings "Ah si ben mio", is then interrupted by Ruiz with bad maternal news, and goes off on "di quella pira".

Regardless, if Verdi, a theatrical/musical genius included it, I want to experience it. It's bad enough to cut the repeats without cutting the entire cabaletta.


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## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

JohnGerald said:


> While I have, have read and respect Budden, I believe that he is a creature of his times, meaning that "good Opera" meant late Verdi, verismo and Wagner (an obvious overstatement, I know). His Operas of Verdi preceeded the Bel Canto Renaissance to a large extent. I prefer Phil Gossett's approach to musical scholarship, which embraces, as far as I can tell, the totality of opera composition, exclusive of verismo and Wagner.
> 
> My admittedly limited understanding of the cavatina/cabaletta dynamic is that the former is used to exposit the singer's present emotional state, and that the cabaletta is action oriented. As an example, Manrico sings "Ah si ben mio", is then interrupted by Ruiz with bad maternal news, and goes off on "di quella pira".
> 
> Regardless, if Verdi, a theatrical/musical genius included it, I want to experience it. It's bad enough to cut the repeats without cutting the entire cabaletta.


I've read all three volumes, and I'm afraid I can't agree. His love of Verdi is obvious in every page, whether he is writing about *Alzira*, which he likes more than most, or *Otello*. I think he's fair. The Duke's cabaletta in *Rigoletto* is not a great piece of music, but he still advocates its inclusion, as he does Germont's awful cabaletta at the end of Act II scene i of *La Traviata*, a cabaletta I never miss if it's cut.

I simply can't understand these opera completists who insist on every note the composer wrote, even to the extent of including music the composer actually cut. It's as if they are saying they know better than the composer.

*Il Trovatore* was probably the last of Verdi's operas written in the old style, and, as such, the cabalettas all work, even _Tu vedrai_, which was usually cut until Callas sang it on the Karajan recording, though even here Verdi is stretching form by inserting the _Miserere_ between cavatina and cabaletta. Both *Rigoletto* and *La Traviata* are more modern and look forward to his future style, in which the music is more through composed and traditional cavatina/cabaletta designs are largely eschewed, though Verdi would still return to the old forms if it suited him dramatically, as he does in *Otello* with _Si pel ciel_, which is surely our old friend the cabaletta.

Maybe I'm a creature of my time too, but, and I probably love Verdi more than anyone, I do not believe that every note he wrote is sacrosanct.


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## schigolch (Jun 26, 2011)

I don't believe either that every note written by Verdi (or by any composer) are sacrosanct.

"Possente" was cut even when Verdi was still alive. And the reason for that was a very practical one. It was (and is) very difficult for the tenor to sing this cabaletta after "Parmi veder le lagrime" (even counting with the chorus "Scorrendo uniti remota via" as tempo di mezzo). So, in some performances only one verse was sung, or the whole piece was cut.

This (the cut) became the traditional way to sing _Rigoletto_ by the early 1900s. It was restored by Alfredo Kraus in 1966, singing at the MET. After that, many tenors are also happy to sing it. Personally, if the singer can't really sing the cabaletta well, I think it's better to cut. But this is for a live performance. Of course, in a studio recording, I would like to hear all the music.

Aside from that, and even if "Possente" is not a great piece of music, I don't see any valid reason to cut. This cabaletta makes sense, from a structural point of view, from a musical point of view and from a dramatic point of view. The whole nine yards.


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## schigolch (Jun 26, 2011)

In Meyerbeer's _Les Huguenots_, the Queen's aria which opens Act 2 is cast in the form of a slow first section: 'O beau pays', a middle section with Urbain and the female chorus, and then a cabaletta 'A ce mot tout s'anime'.

We can hear this cabaletta, in the voice of Desirée Rancatore, starting at 11:35:


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## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

schigolch said:


> Aside from that, and even if "Possente" is not a great piece of music, I don't see any valid reason to cut. This cabaletta makes sense, from a structural point of view, from a musical point of view and from a dramatic point of view. The whole nine yards.


Which is pretty much what Budden is saying in the quote I used.

Personally I don't much like the piece, but would have to admit that Alfredo Kraus, in your chosen excerpt, goes a long way towards exonerating it.


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## schigolch (Jun 26, 2011)

In Rossini's Neapolitan opera _Maometto II_, we can find the character Calbo, a Venetian warrior, but also a trouser role that must be performed ideally by a contralto.

"Non temer, d'un basso affetto... E d'un trono alla speranza" is a great aria for this contralto to showcase her talents. We can hear below one of the bona fide contraltos of the last decades, Polish singer Ewa Podles, singing the role. The cabaletta starts at 4:10.


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## schigolch (Jun 26, 2011)

Almaviva's aria 'Cessa di più resistere" was cut, from the times of Rossini himself, due to its extreme difficulty and also to its little relevance for the drama. However, it was included in some recordings starting in the 1950s, and also some tenors started to sing again the aria, though probably the one that really did the most to rescue the piece for live performance was Rockwell Blake.

The latest preference is to include this lively aria, with the cabaletta "Ah il più lieto", that we can hear below in the voice of Juan Diego Flórez:


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## JohnGerald (Jul 6, 2014)

My favorite version of this piece is in the "Wheelchair Barber" with DiDonato. In an interview, JDF said that when he was a burgeoning Rossinian, conductors would not permit him to sing it, ostensibly because it comes at the end, after the tenor has done a lot of singing, and is vocally demanding as well. Thanks for this clip; Florez remains a wonder to an old guy who necessarily came to Rossini late on, 'cuz it just wasn't done like it is these days. Or done at all, in the main.


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## schigolch (Jun 26, 2011)

Mr. Flórez is indeed a wonder singing Rossini, in general, and this aria from Barbiere is no exception.

However, when Mr. Flórez started to sing professionally, around the mid 1990s, "Cessa" was already established again. I was able to listen the aria included in live performances of the opera, to both Rockwell Blake and William Mateuzzi:


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## schigolch (Jun 26, 2011)

After the wonderful duet between Giorgio and Riccardo in Act 2 of _I Puritani_, they sing this consciousness-raising cabaletta, "Suoni la tromba e intrepido":






_ Suoni la tromba e intrepido
io pugnerò da forte:

bello è affrontar la morte
gridando libertà.

Amor di patria impavido
mieta i sanguigni allori,
poi terga i bei sudori
e i pianti la pietà.

All'armi!

Sia voce di terror
Patria, vittoria e onor!
_
This is so martial that was one of the hymns of the Italian Risorgimento, and was later adopted as the national anthem of Sicily, by the extinct Sicilian Independence Movement.


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## schigolch (Jun 26, 2011)

Donizetti was very fond of his opera _Parisina_, with a libretto by Felice Romani, based on a Byron's poem.

Personally, though there are of course some very good numbers, I wouldn't count this opera among my favorites from Donizetti. One of the most interesting fragments of P_arisina _is the final cabaletta, "Ugo e spento!", that we can hear in the voice of Montserrat Caballé:


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## JohnGerald (Jul 6, 2014)

Here is Chinese tenor, Yijie Shi doing the first act aria and cabaletta (Languir per una bella) from L'Italiana in Algerie. He was very well received at the ROF and did a superb Fernand in a recent La Favorite DVD I recently got. Lovely voice.

http://yourepeat.com/watch/?v=jIKe4AHiRk0#1

If memory serves, the somewht spicy ROF L'Italiana from 2013 with Shi and Anna Goryachova will be released in August in the US and I July in Europe.


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## DarkAngel (Aug 11, 2010)

schigolch said:


> Mr. Flórez is indeed a wonder singing Rossini, in general, and this aria from Barbiere is no exception.
> 
> However, when Mr. Flórez started to sing professionally, around the mid 1990s,* "Cessa" was already established again*. I was able to listen the aria included in live performances of the opera, to both Rockwell Blake and William Mateuzzi:


Love that MET Barber with Kathleen Battle and Rocky.......









That "cessa" from Barber of Seville sounds like an exact "male" version of the famous "Non Più Mesta" finale of La Cerenentola


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## schigolch (Jun 26, 2011)

Indeed.

The attentive listener could also spot on some similarities between "Cessa" and the aria of Adelaide in the Act 2 of _Adelaide di Borgogna_. This was typical of Rossini, he reused his own music often. In fact, he even wrote two pasticcios, _Ivanhoe_ and _Robert Bruce_, though in none of them he used pieces from _Barbiere_. I quite enjoy _Ivanhoe_, it's available in youtube:


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## schigolch (Jun 26, 2011)

The cabaletta "Or tutti sorgete" is one terrible moment in Verdi's _Macbeth_. It's a big challenge for the singer to express Lady Macbeth's feelings.

Maria Guleghina, with that big voice of hers, tries to convey these feelings:






_ Or tutti sorgete, ministri infernali, 
Che al sangue incorate, spingete i mortali! 
Tu, notte, ne avvolgi di tenebra immota; 
Qual petto percota non vegga il pugnale_


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## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

schigolch said:


> The cabaletta "Or tutti sorgete" is one terrible moment in Verdi's _Macbeth_. It's a big challenge for the singer to express Lady Macbeth's feelings.
> 
> Maria Guleghina, with that big voice of hers, tries to convey these feelings:
> 
> ...


Tries and fails, I fear. That big voice of hers doesn't negotiate the notes particularly well.


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## schigolch (Jun 26, 2011)

Guleghina's singing was clearly not at her best in this cabaletta, true. She was singing a little bit by approximation, as if the notes instead of being written in the stave were rather immersed in probability clouds. However, she was a decent Lady Macbeth, at the end of the opera, taking everything into consideration.

My favorites in the role are Callas, Verrett, Gencer, Dimitrova ...


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## DarkAngel (Aug 11, 2010)

schigolch said:


> *Guleghina's singing was clearly not at her best in this cabaletta*, true. She was singing a little bit by approximation, as if the notes instead of being written in the stave were rather immersed in probability clouds. However, she was a decent Lady Macbeth, at the end of the opera, taking everything into consideration.
> 
> My favorites in the role are *Callas, Verrett, Gencer, Dimitrova *...


Callas is my favorite Lady M. as well on CD 1952 La Scala, for video of that piece how can you top the 1970s Verrett performance at 6:06, an actual showstopper that drives the audience into a frenzy......you can feel the turbulent dark currents of that evil soul that will prevail at all cost!

Video performance from same time period as DG recording both featuring Abbado conducting


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## schigolch (Jun 26, 2011)

An unusual case occurs in Bellini's _Il Pirata_, when the baritone, Ernesto, sings in Act 1 his cavatina, "Sì, vincemmo, e il pregio io sento" using the same words for the cantabile (F major, Andante molto sostenuto) and the cabaletta (F major, Allegro marziale).

We can hear this example in a recital, where we are missing the tempo di mezzo, in this case the chorus "Più temuto, più splendido nome". The cabaletta starts at 2:00.


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## schigolch (Jun 26, 2011)

This is Zaccaria's cabaletta from _Nabucco_, "Come notte a sol fulgente", sung by Ferruccio Furlanetto:






_Come notte a sol fulgente,
Come polve in preda al vento,
Sparirai nel gran cimento,
Dio di Belo menzogner.
Tu, d'Abramo Iddio possente,
A pugnar con noi discendi;
Ne' tuoi servi un soffio accendi
Che dia morte allo stranier._


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## schigolch (Jun 26, 2011)

Another of the most famous Verdi's cabalettas is of course Rigoletto's "Si, vendetta, tremenda vendetta".

One of the last times I heard this opera on stage, Leo Nucci sang an encore (with Patrizia Ciofi), as usual. 

Let's hear one great Rigoletto, Cornell MacNeil, singing with Leyla Gencer in 1961:


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## JohnGerald (Jul 6, 2014)

Because I am eagerly awaiting delivery of a disc of the 2012 Ernani from the Met, I thought all and sundry might enjoy seeing and hearing the formidable Angela Meade doing Ernani, Ernani involami and the cabaletta Tutto sprezzo che d'Ernai from that simulcast, alas, with Cyrillic subtitles. But who's reading??

http://www.youtube.com/watch/?v=zo8Z-OTcNio


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## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

JohnGerald said:


> Because I am eagerly awaiting delivery of a disc of the 2012 Ernani from the Met, I thought all and sundry might enjoy seeing and hearing the formidable Angela Meade doing Ernani, Ernani involami and the cabaletta Tutto sprezzo che d'Ernai from that simulcast, alas, with Cyrillic subtitles. But who's reading??
> 
> http://www.youtube.com/watch/?v=zo8Z-OTcNio


Is it just me, or is there a surfeit of vibrato in the voice, to the extent that it vitiates enjoyment? I listened in quick succession to Price, Freni, Ponselle, De Los Angeles, Moffo, Caballe, Sutherland, Miricioiu, Steber and eventually to Callas. _All_ of them (including Callas) are firmer and fall far more easily on the ear (on mine anyway), and all of them manage the coloratura in the cabaletta with more ease, though Callas is the most elegant and, as is her wont, lives the aria more fully. I hate to sound like one of those old fogeys, who only listens to singers from the past, but each and every one of the sopranos listed above provided me with more enjoyment.


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## DarkAngel (Aug 11, 2010)

JohnGerald said:


> Because I am eagerly awaiting delivery of a disc of the 2012 Ernani from the Met, I thought all and sundry might enjoy seeing and hearing the formidable Angela Meade doing Ernani, Ernani involami and the cabaletta *Tutto sprezzo che d'Ernai* from that simulcast, alas, with Cyrillic subtitles. But who's reading??
> 
> http://www.youtube.com/watch/?v=zo8Z-OTcNio


MET still use the same Ernani set as seen in this early 1983 MET DVD version........money must be tight










Ernani has some great vocal sequences, the "tutto sprezzo" can be very exciting, *I really love Anita Cerquetti singing this* which is found on a really great live recording with stellar cast, what a magnificent voice she had at that time........listen to that high note at 2:20 and the descending note sequence that follows, who can do that today? brava Anita..........


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## Itullian (Aug 27, 2011)

DarkAngel said:


> MET still use the same Ernani set as seen in this early 1983 MET DVD version........money must be tight
> 
> 
> 
> ...


WOW, What a cast!!!


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## JohnGerald (Jul 6, 2014)

I know that many have an affinity for singers long past, and, to an extent, I share that. My favorite CD Ernani is with Price and Bergonzi, and I have and enjoy the DVD with Pavarotti, Milnes and Mitchell. But I saw the HD simulcast with Meade, Giordani, Hvorostovsky and Furlanetto and belive it to be unsurpassed, 1983 sets and all. I share George Bernard Shaw's positive reaction to Ernani, although I like it for other reasons. It is hugely energetic, even though it expresses virtues like honor which are , sadly IMHO, out of vogue


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## JohnGerald (Jul 6, 2014)

And while on the subject of Ernani, here is Marcello Giordani doing "Merce diletti amici"and the cabaletta, the name of which escapes me at this moment.






And the late Carlo Bergonzi doing the same, less the second round of the cabaletta with an amazing high note held at the end. My favorite italian tenor!






While Giordani's version was thrilling to watch when done at the Met, Bergonzi is incomparable. But for a real thrill...


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## DarkAngel (Aug 11, 2010)

JohnGerald said:


> And while on the subject of Ernani, here is Marcello Giordani doing "Merce diletti amici"and the cabaletta, the name of which escapes me at this moment.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I do much prefer the Bergonzi version also, during his recording career the *Italian "forte tenor" style *ruled....more dramatic and stylish delivery that is quite thrilling.

What a group back then with Corelli, Del Monaco, Di Stefano and Bergonzi

Just watched the 1983 MET Ernani with Pavaroti singing this, but in a much more conservative style already by then......nowhere near as exciting as the Bergonzi version above


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## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

DarkAngel said:


> I do much prefer the Bergonzi version also, during his recording career the *Italian "forte tenor" style *ruled....more dramatic and stylish delivery that is quite thrilling.
> 
> What a group back then with Corelli, Del Monaco, Di Stefano and Bergonzi
> 
> Just watched the 1983 MET Ernani with Pavaroti singing this, but in a much more conservative style already by then......nowhere near as exciting as the Bergonzi version above


And now Bergonzi is no longer with us. He died yesterday at the age of 90.

RIP


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## schigolch (Jun 26, 2011)

Nicola Vaccaj (1790 - 1848) wrote sixteen operas. He was also a celebrated singing teacher, and wrote the famous "Metodo pratico di canto".

His most famous opera was _Giulietta e Romeo_, premiered in 1825, at Teatro alla Canobbiana, in Milan. The great soprano Maria Malibran replaced during a performance of Bellini's _I Capuleti e i Montecchi _the last act of this opera, with the last from Vaccai's opera on the same subject, and this replacement made fortune, being common in Italian theaters during the rest of the 19th century.

But let's hear today an aria from another of Vaccai's operas, _La sposa di Messina _(1839) in the voice of the promising young soprano Jessica Pratt (the cabaletta starts at 4:38):


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## schigolch (Jun 26, 2011)

Giovanni Pacini, 'Il Maestro delle cabalette', was not very fond of his own career. He explained in his Memoirs:

"My cabalettas generally had the virtue of spontaneity, elegance, and form. Everyone believed it cost me little to find a melodic thought of some novelty, since, it was said, that was a matter of innate talent and nothing else. My instrumentation was never careful enough, and if it was sometimes beautiful or brilliant, this resulted not from reflection but rather from that natural taste God granted me. I frequently slighted the string section, nor did I take pains about the effects that might be drawn from instrumental families".

In reality, he was overwhelmed by what he perceived as his failure in fulfilling the expectations of being a worthy sucessor to Rossini, while living alongside Donizetti or Bellini.

However, he was a talented musician, and a crafted opera composer. Let's listen to this cabaletta from a little known opera, _Allan Cameron_, dealing with the youth of the English king, Charles II:


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## DarkAngel (Aug 11, 2010)

schigolch said:


> However, he was a talented musician, and a crafted opera composer. Let's listen to this cabaletta from a little known opera, _Allan Cameron_, dealing with the youth of the English king, Charles II:


Nice, that opera and composer was unknown to me previously......plus any opportuinity to hear Annick Massis is welcome, wish she had more recordings available


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## schigolch (Jun 26, 2011)

Before the French premiere of _I Due Foscari_, in 1846, Verdi wrote a cabaletta for tenor Mario de Candia, "Sì, lo sento, Iddio mi chiama", better suited to the vocality of the Sardinian singer than the original piece premiered by Giacomo Roppa, a tenor 'di forza', two years before: "Odio solo ed odio atroce".

Luciano Pavarotti recovered the de Candia's cabaletta in one of his recordings:






And we can also hear the original cabaletta, sung by Josep Carreras:


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## DarkAngel (Aug 11, 2010)

schigolch said:


> Before the French premiere of _I Due Foscari_, in 1846, Verdi wrote a cabaletta for tenor Mario de Candia, "Sì, lo sento, Iddio mi chiama", better suited to the vocality of the Sardinian singer than the original piece premiered by Giacomo Roppa, a tenor 'di forza', two years before: "Odio solo ed odio atroce".
> 
> * Luciano Pavarotti recovered the de Candia's cabaletta in one of his recordings:*
> 
> ...


Two falsetto sections in Pavarotti aria (1:48 and 3:25) you would not hear any modern tenors attempt to take this on :devil:


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## schigolch (Jun 26, 2011)

This is perfectly acceptable in my view, as it was aligned with Verdi's intention.

First, we are talking about an E-flat high!. Second, during the 1840s Mario de Candia was singing mainly in Paris and London, and his favorite roles were Bellini's tenors, such as Arturo, Gualtiero and Elvino. He was saluted as a heir to Rubini, that was already in decline (he retired in 1845). De Candia was certainly using "falsettone" to sing this kind of notes, and Verdi was well aware of it, when he wrote this cabaletta.


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## schigolch (Jun 26, 2011)

The cavatina of Odabella in Verdi's _Attila_, is a very difficult piece for the soprano. Here we can listen to a beautiful rendition by Joan Sutherland, especially in the cabaletta, "Da te questo or m'e concesso", in a role that was premiered by the famous German singer Sophie Löwe, in 1846.

The cabaletta starts at 3:05.


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## DarkAngel (Aug 11, 2010)

schigolch said:


> The cavatina of Odabella in Verdi's _Attila_, is a very difficult piece for the soprano. Here we can listen to a beautiful rendition by Joan Sutherland, especially in the cabaletta, "Da te questo or m'e concesso", in a role that was premiered by the famous German singer Sophie Löwe, in 1846.
> 
> The cabaletta starts at 3:05.


Very nice, the voice is so agile and clear this has to be an early recording......

I check and find it dates from 1964 and can be found on this boxset CD 3 track 1, I have never seen a Sutherland complete Attila recording so this must be a recital piece


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## Philmwri (Apr 8, 2011)

Zelmira Cabaletta by Chris Merritt. He sings the
and Low A and the High E flat perfectly.


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

schigolch said:


> The cavatina of Odabella in Verdi's _Attila_, is a very difficult piece for the soprano. Here we can listen to a beautiful rendition by Joan Sutherland, especially in the cabaletta, "Da te questo or m'e concesso", in a role that was premiered by the famous German singer Sophie Löwe, in 1846.
> 
> The cabaletta starts at 3:05.


If you can, try to listen to the Deutekom recording( now on Decca), she's fabulous in that piece.


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## Philmwri (Apr 8, 2011)

I didn't know that Cristina Deutekom died four days ago. May she rest in peace. Her voice was huge. I would love to know if anyone had ever heard her live. Her voice sounds very large. She will be missed.


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## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

Philmwri said:


> I didn't know that Cristina Deutekom died four days ago. May she rest in peace. Her voice was huge. I would love to know if anyone had ever heard her live. Her voice sounds very large. She will be missed.


I heard her live in *Un Ballo in Maschera* with Scottish Opera in the 1970s at the Theatre Royal, Newcastle, which is not that large a house. I wouldn't say the voice was particularly large (certainly not as large as Dernesch, whom I heard in the same theatre), but it was penetrating. However I most remember a surfeit of blue eye shadow and rather too much aimless dashing around the stage.


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## Philmwri (Apr 8, 2011)

She chose the right repertoire though. It's nice to hear dramatic voices singing coloratura. She had quite a sense of humor.


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## schigolch (Jun 26, 2011)

The cabaletta was (and still is, for some people) often despised as the poorest and cheapest expression of Italian Romantic Opera. It was hailed as formulaic, inherently antidramatic, crude, an stereotype...

Well, certainly we can find cabalettas that are all of the above. But as we can find also cantabiles, ensembles, overtures,... The form itself, however, all the "Rossini code" can be used as the basis for great drama, and great music, or for the opposite... A little bit like any other form, older or more recent.

An eloquent advocate for the cabaletta is "Oh, qual soave brivido", from Verdi's _Un ballo in maschera_, that we can hear in the voices of Maria Callas and Giuseppe di Stefano


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## schigolch (Jun 26, 2011)

The most famous of cabalettas, but coming from "Le Trouvère", instead of "Il Trovatore".

'Suplice infâme'






The tenor is the Belgian singer Charles Fontaine, and the recording is from 1912. It's the first standing recording of the entire opera, that is was curiously first recorded in French (there are also German versions from the 1920s), as the first Italian "Trovatores" are from 1930 (the version with Pertile, Maria Carena, Minghini-Cattaneo, Granforte... and the other with Merli, Zinetti, Bianca Scacciati, Molinari...).


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## schigolch (Jun 26, 2011)

Saverio Mercadante wrote _Virginia_ in 1850, just three years before Verdi's _La Traviata_, for instance, but it was not staged until 1866 due to some rather inane problems with the Bourbon government's censors at Naples. The opera was never able to win a foothold in the repertory, and there were very few performances since the late 19th century, until the recording by Opera Rara in 2009.

And it was quite a discovery, of a nice and well planned opera, arguably one of the more accomplished by Mercadante. Of course, several cabalettas were mandatory, and we can hear below one from the protagonist, Virginia:


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## Figleaf (Jun 10, 2014)

Charles Fontaine had a very exciting voice! Another good French Di quella pira from the early days is Leon Escalaïs- satisfyingly loud!


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## schigolch (Jun 26, 2011)

"Pour mon âme" is also one of the most famous cabalettas ever, due mainly to the abundance of high Cs for the tenor to sing. Yes, it's a kind of tour de force, but not just a gymnastic exhibition, it must be sung with the proper feeling, and respecting the tempi and the silences in the score.

This was a signature role for the Spanish tenor Alfredo Kraus (cabaletta starts at 5:08):


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## DarkAngel (Aug 11, 2010)

schigolch said:


> "Pour mon âme" is also one of the most famous cabalettas ever, due mainly to the abundance of high Cs for the tenor to sing. Yes, it's a kind of tour de force, but not just a gymnastic exhibition, it must be sung with the proper feeling, and respecting the tempi and the silences in the score.
> 
> This was a signature role for the Spanish tenor Alfredo Kraus (cabaletta starts at 5:08):












I have that performance on a live EMI CD set from 1986 with June Anderson, even more remarkable is that Kraus is singing/performing at that high level at age 59........

Another way to look at it, almost 30 years after his Lisbon Traviata with Callas


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## Figleaf (Jun 10, 2014)

Thanks, I don't remember having heard that one before. Some very fetching costumes in that clip too, especially the boots 

Oh, Schigolch- after I heard the Di quella pira you posted earlier, I had to order the complete Trovatore set with Fontaine! Looking forward to hearing the whole thing!


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## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

DarkAngel said:


> even more remarkable is that Kraus is singing/performing at that high level at age 59........


In a sense yes, but in another no. Kraus had a technique second to none, plus the intelligence never to sing outside his fach. Eventually he reduced performances and roles to just a few, Hoffmann, Werther, and maybe a couple of others. I'm sure someone once told me that he commanded a higher fee for those few roles he sang than any other tenor, including Domingo and Pavarotti.


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## schigolch (Jun 26, 2011)

One of the less performed Verdi's operas is _Il Corsaro_. There is some reason for this neglect, even if some pieces are interesting, like this rousing cabaletta, "Si, de Corsari il fulmine", where Corrado resolves to set sail and rally his troops:


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## DarkAngel (Aug 11, 2010)

schigolch said:


> One of the less performed Verdi's operas is _Il Corsaro_. There is some reason for this neglect, even if some pieces are interesting, like this rousing cabaletta, "Si, de Corsari il fulmine", where Corrado resolves to set sail and rally his troops:


Love it......more more more

Am I a minority view, I just love these early/middle period Verdi operas, what a great combination of rousing orchestral melody, choral singing, and bravura individual arias......thank the opera gods we have good recordings of these!

Fortunately the new Tutto Verdi series video is a good one, especially love the performance of the *brave slave girl Gulnara *who tries to help the pirates and give some courage/backbone to their somewhat wimpy leader.....


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## schigolch (Jun 26, 2011)

Let's trace again the cavatina/cabaletta pairing to this beautiful fragment from Berlioz's _Benvenuto Cellini_. Berlioz is playing a little bit with the concept here.

An arresting performance from Patrizia Ciofi:


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## schigolch (Jun 26, 2011)

_Ricciardo e Zoraide_ is one of the most neglected Rossini's operas. It was premiered at Teatro San Carlo, in Naples, back in 1818. It wasn't performed since 1846 until 1990, when it was revived at Pesaro.

We can hear the energetic cabaletta of Agorante, the Nubian King, "Or di regnar per voi", in the voice of Bruce Ford:


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## Bellinilover (Jul 24, 2013)

Just within the past week I've gotten into Carlo's "Egli e salvo!" cabaletta from _La Forza del Destino_. Here, in a TV documentary about Verdi, is Sherrill Milnes singing it (the part I'm referring to runs from 9:56 to 11:56 in the video):


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## schigolch (Jun 26, 2011)

Another of Donizetti's cabalettas. This time is coming from a trouser role, the page Arturo, of the opera _Rosmonda d'Inghilterra_:


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## DarkAngel (Aug 11, 2010)

schigolch said:


> Another of Donizetti's cabalettas. This time is coming from a trouser role, the page Arturo, of the opera _Rosmonda d'Inghilterra_:


So many Donizetti operas......and so little time, a shame many of them are almost unheard of today.
This opera is available on spotify premium in excellent sound on Opera Rara release, going through it now


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## Itullian (Aug 27, 2011)

DarkAngel said:


> So many Donizetti operas......and so little time, a shame many of them are almost unheard of today.
> This opera is available on spotify premium in excellent sound on Opera Rara release, going through it now


I love Donizetti's writing style. Always compelling.


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## schigolch (Jun 26, 2011)

Among early Verdi's operas, my personal favourite is _I Due Foscari_. Here we have the cavatina of Lucrezia Contarini, ending in an energic cabaletta, "O patrizi, tremate", sung by Leyla Gencer:


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## DarkAngel (Aug 11, 2010)

schigolch said:


> Among early Verdi's operas, my personal favourite is _I Due Foscari_. Here we have the cavatina of Lucrezia Contarini, ending in an energic cabaletta, "O patrizi, tremate", sung by Leyla Gencer:


Great stuff, love the many photos of Leyla in that youtube.......

I Due Foscari has a very good video in new Tutto Verdi series with Leo Nucci in the lead role


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## schigolch (Jun 26, 2011)

Verdi and Ghislanzoni shared a big amount of correspondence regarding _Aida_. Verdi was keen on avoiding cabalettas, 'except when the situation demands them'. So, he flatly refused Ghislanzoni's suggestion of Aida singing a cabaletta after the duet with her father, Amonasro, but he also wrote to his librettist that they were well 'into the path of cantabiles and cabalettas', in the Act 3 duet between Aida and Radames. Let's hear "Si, fuggiam da queste mura' (8:10):


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## schigolch (Jun 26, 2011)

Among the many contributions of Maria Callas during her relatively short career, the rescue of Amina is arguably one of the greatest. A role premiered by Giuditta Pasta, and sung by Maria Malibran, was being the vehicle of very light voices, that made a goldfinch looks like a longshoreman by comparison.

The Sonnambula sung by Callas with Leonard Bernstein at La Scala was a prodigy, a testimony to the genius of Bellini (and Romani), and the amazing talent of the Greek diva.

Let's hear "Ah, non giunge uman pensiero":


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## DarkAngel (Aug 11, 2010)

schigolch said:


> Among the many contributions of Maria Callas during her relatively short career, the rescue of Amina is arguably one of the greatest. A role premiered by Giuditta Pasta, and sung by Maria Malibran, was being the vehicle of very light voices, that made a goldfinch looks like a longshoreman by comparison.
> 
> The Sonnambula sung by Callas with Leonard Bernstein at La Scala was a prodigy, a testimony to the genius of Bellini (and Romani), and the amazing talent of the Greek diva.
> 
> Let's hear "Ah, non giunge uman pensiero":


The immortal 1955 La Scala season for Callas, she was unstoppable this night I love this performance with extra vocal ornament, and that climatic final run from 2:43-58 is electrifying.......


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## Marschallin Blair (Jan 23, 2014)

Duplicate post.


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## Marschallin Blair (Jan 23, 2014)

DarkAngel said:


> The immortal 1955 La Scala season for Callas, she was unstoppable this night I love this performance with extra vocal ornament, and that climatic final run from 2:43-58 is electrifying.......


_Absolutely._

-- and, _my_ favorite Divina run in _Sonnambula_ is from the second night of the Köln '57 performance: _"Ah! Non giunge uman pensiero"_:






1:44-2:00


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## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

Marschallin Blair said:


> _Absolutely._
> 
> -- and, _my_ favorite Divina run in _Sonnambula_ is from the second night of the Köln '57 performance: _"Ah! Non giunge uman pensiero"_:
> 
> ...


Bang on.

I've just been raving on about it to Headphone Hermit in the current listening thread.


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## Marschallin Blair (Jan 23, 2014)

GregMitchell said:


> Bang on.
> 
> I've just been raving on about it to Headphone Hermit in the current listening thread.


Un-CANNY!

Ha. Ha. Ha. Ha.

"Wonder-twin powers! Activate!-- shape of. . . 'Divina'. . . form of. . . '_Sonnambula_.'

God am I laughing right now.


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## Headphone Hermit (Jan 8, 2014)

GregMitchell said:


> Bang on.
> 
> I've just been raving on about it to Headphone Hermit in the current listening thread.


and the Hermit took less than 2 minutes to decide that it is necessary to have a fourth version of Callas singing this opera

Grazia mile :tiphat:


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## schigolch (Jun 26, 2011)

One outstanding Donizetti's cabaletta, is "Bagnato il sen di lagrime", from _Roberto Devereux_. Part of the great scena for the tenor in Act 3, preceded by the beautiful cantabile "Come uno spirto angelico".

Let's hear Italian tenor Roberto Aronica, in a live performance, this time with a modern flavour wardrobe, even if we are rather missing some raincoats:






_Bagnato il sen di lagrime,
tinto del sangue mio
io corro, io volo a chiedere
per te soccorso a Dio...
Impietositi gli angeli
del mio dolor saranno,
si piangerà d'afanno la prima volta in ciel_


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## BalalaikaBoy (Sep 25, 2014)

Nella Pace from Donizetti's Maria Stuarda, sung by Dame Joan Sutherland (anyone else pretty much butchers it)


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## schigolch (Jun 26, 2011)

Although in the score, by the Ricci brothers, of the comic opera _Crispino è la comare_, "Io non sono più l'Annetta" is described as an 'arietta', in fact it could well be just a cabaletta without a cantabile... 

In any case, it's a good excuse to hear this amazing performance by Joan Sutherland:


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## schigolch (Jun 26, 2011)

Gian Giacomo Guelfi sings "O prodi miei seguitemi" from Verdi's _Nabucco_:


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## schigolch (Jun 26, 2011)

Johann Simon Mayr spent the first years of his life in his native Bavaria, but since he arrived at Bergamo in 1802, as an already mature composer almost forty years old, he started the more succesful part of his career, writing Italian Bel canto operas.

Arguably his biggest succes was this _Medea in Corinto, _with a libretto by Felice Romani, of which we can listen to Marisa Galvany singing the aria "Sommi dei", with the cabaletta towards the end of the clip, as usual:


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## schigolch (Jun 26, 2011)

_I masnadieri_ is one of Verdi's less performed operas. It was a commission by Her Majesty's Theatre, at London, where it was premiered back in 1847. It was a modest success, replicated in Italy and a few other countries during the next twenty years, and after that the opera was mostly forgotten.

For the London premiere, the role of Amalia was sung by the Swedish soprano Jenny Lind, one of the foremost singers of her generation. Amalia's cabaletta "Carlo vive?" is one of the leading scenes of the opera, and we can hear below to Joan Sutherland singing this cabaletta twice, with 20 years of difference between the two performances:


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## silentio (Nov 10, 2014)

I have never been a fan of cabaletta, most of them I found a little bit anticlimactic (just my opinion). However, a short moment (not sure if it can be called a cabaletta) in the last act of La Gioconda gets me everytime. Just right after the heartbreaking lament for love (_"O amore! Amore! Enzo! Pieta...pieta di me!"_) of Gioconda, Enzo entered and angrily confronted her: _"I am here. free and armed. What do you want from me?"_. She answered: _"Ridarta il sol, la vita!"_ _(" I want to give you the sun, life!")_. That moment alone makes me feel like Gioconda is indeed the _mos_t miserable female character ever in all operas. This woman at this point technically lost everything in her life.


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## Figleaf (Jun 10, 2014)

schigolch said:


> "Pour mon âme" is also one of the most famous cabalettas ever, due mainly to the abundance of high Cs for the tenor to sing. Yes, it's a kind of tour de force, but not just a gymnastic exhibition, it must be sung with the proper feeling, and respecting the tempi and the silences in the score.
> 
> This was a signature role for the Spanish tenor Alfredo Kraus (cabaletta starts at 5:08):
> 
> ...


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## schigolch (Jun 26, 2011)

Luciano Pavarotti used to say that "if you are able to sing Elvino the way it's written in the score, then you are a true master of Belcanto". Certainly, Elvino is a tricky role, much more difficult to sing, than it normally appears to the audience. One beautiful piece for Elvino in the score of _La sonnambula_ is this cabaletta 'Ah, perché non posso odiarti', that we can hear in a recent rendition by the Peruvian tenor Juan Diego Flórez:


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## sabrina (Apr 26, 2011)

One of my favourite cabaletta arias, is a duet from Rigoletto:
Sì vendetta, tremenda vendetta


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## Figleaf (Jun 10, 2014)

schigolch said:


> Luciano Pavarotti used to say that "if you are able to sing Elvino the way it's written in the score, then you are a true master of Belcanto". Certainly, Elvino is a tricky role, much more difficult to sing, than it normally appears to the audience. One beautiful piece for Elvino in the score of _La sonnambula_ is this cabaletta 'Ah, perché non posso odiarti', that we can hear in a recent rendition by the Peruvian tenor Juan Diego Flórez:


By 'singing Elvino the way it's written in the score', did he mean also in the original keys?


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## Figleaf (Jun 10, 2014)

Sorry. Duplicate post.


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## DarkAngel (Aug 11, 2010)

schigolch said:


> Luciano Pavarotti used to say that "if you are able to sing Elvino the way it's written in the score, then you are a true master of Belcanto". Certainly, Elvino is a tricky role, much more difficult to sing, than it normally appears to the audience. One beautiful piece for Elvino in the score of _La sonnambula_ is this cabaletta 'Ah, perché non posso odiarti', that we can hear in a recent rendition by the Peruvian tenor Juan Diego Flórez:


Love that sequence with JDF, also on the youtube page was a version by Nicolai Gedda with that classic ringing golden tenor tone, the *climatic high note is sustained for 12 seconds* (6:12-6:24)


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## schigolch (Jun 26, 2011)

Figleaf said:


> By 'singing Elvino the way it's written in the score', did he mean also in the original keys?


Not exactly...

"La sonnambula" is a 'soprano opera'. A great vehicle for a gifted prima donna to showcase her talent. For someone like Pasta ('she can be an eagle or a dove, but never a canary') or Callas, a real challenge to provide an unforgettable performance.

So, the role of Elvino is sometimes given for granted. But don't forget the first Elvino was none other than the great Rubini. Bellini said to his tenor before the premiere: 'musica che strettissimamente esprima la parola, e del canto e del drama formare un solo tutto'. Literally, that he should take care of making every word count, that he has to fuse together the singing and the drama in a perfect union. But to follow Bellini's instructions, in the proper Bellini's musical language, the singer needs first to master Bel Canto, to produce a flawless singing line, to properly manage agilities and legato. This is more important than the original keys, in my view (and also Pavarotti's view, incidentally).

Let's not forget that Rubini produced the high notes using the _falsettone_ technique, and he could reach up to a high F without issues. Bellini took advantage of this fact, and the score is full of high notes, and the singer is also supposed to use each cadenza to give free rain to his own fantasy, *without* compromising the singing line.

There is a recording with Giuseppe Morino based on the original score, that you can hear if you are interested. An example:






But, personally, even if this was an interesting experiment to be sure, I prefer other tenors in this role.


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## Figleaf (Jun 10, 2014)

schigolch said:


> Not exactly...
> 
> "La sonnambula" is a 'soprano opera'. A great vehicle for a gifted prima donna to showcase her talent. For someone like Pasta ('she can be an eagle or a dove, but never a canary') or Callas, a real challenge to provide an unforgettable performance.
> 
> ...


Thank you for that interesting information, and for the YouTube link. I like Giuseppe Morino for his tasteful singing and his attractive high notes, although his voice seems a little small for some of the roles he sang. (There are some fragments of a live Huguenots on YouTube in which Morino is Raoul. He is nearly inaudible in the Grand Duo and Sous le Beau Ciel.) I agree that line and agility are more important than singing in the original key, though the latter achievement in addition to the others would surely be ideal. My favourite recording of 'Ah, perché non posse odiarti' is Fernando de Lucia's, and he is surely nowhere near the original key.


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## schigolch (Jun 26, 2011)

Certainly.

Personally, it was a privilege for me to listen to Flórez singing this role live in the theater. A fascinating experience. I have heard others too, but...

I was not able to listen to Kraus for instance (I did watch him singing other roles), but he was also a refined Elvino. This is a live performance from Venice, in 1961, with Renata Scotto.






Elvino was the first role retired by Kraus, and when asked about it, he always said that it was a very difficult role, and then the audience always left the theater commenting about the soprano, anyway.


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## schigolch (Jun 26, 2011)

The final scene of Donizetti's _Sancia di Castiglia _is a kind of a mad scene_. _Sancia is running up and down the castle (recitative: "sola son io"), and then the cantabile "Al figlio tuo la morte", a discussion with Ircano and then she drinks the poison intended for García. The tempo di mezzo "Vanne Ircano, il mio delitto" it's followed by this cabaletta, "Ah, figlio mio, non piangere!", that we can hear in the voice of Montserrat Caballé, singing in Madrid, in the year 1992:


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## schigolch (Jun 26, 2011)

"Pondo è letal, martirio" is a cabaletta written by Verdi for the role of King Carlo, in his opera _Giovanna d'Arco_. Let's hear this cabaletta in the voice of Carlo Bergonzi:


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## schigolch (Jun 26, 2011)

The great scena in Act 2 of Rossini's _Ermione_, sung by Ermione herself, is one of the highlights of the opera. We can listen here to the somewhat underrated American soprano Lella Cuberli, ending with the powerful cabaletta "Se a me nemiche o stelle":


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## schigolch (Jun 26, 2011)

When Donizetti and Romani were writing "Lucrezia Borgia", they were not planning to include the usual ending, with a piece for the prima donna. However, when the prima donna herself, Henriette Méric-Lalande, was told about it, she immediately went into a tantrum, and the composer had no option but to change his plan and prepare a beautiful scena for her star, _Era desso il figlio mio_.

Nevertheless, a few years later, for another performance and without such an emotional diva, Donizetti came back to his original intention and it's the tenor singing _Madre, se ognor lontano_, and after that the soprano just says: 'É spento', and we can proceed to the curtain calls.

Richard Bonynge, preparing the opera for his wife, Joan Sutherland, and the Spanish tenor Alfredo Kraus, decided to combine both endings, what was a good solution, indeed.

Let's hear the soprano ending, in the voice of Mariella Devia:


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## DarkAngel (Aug 11, 2010)

schigolch said:


> When Donizetti and Romani were writing "Lucrezia Borgia", *they were not planning to include the usual ending, with a piece for the prima donna*. However, when the prima donna herself, Henriette Méric-Lalande, was told about it, she immediately went into a tantrum, and the composer had no option but to change his plan and prepare a beautiful scena for her star, _Era desso il figlio mio_.
> 
> Nevertheless, a few years later, for another performance and without such an emotional diva, Donizetti came back to his original intention and it's the tenor singing _Madre, se ognor lontano_, and after that the soprano just says: 'É spento', and we can proceed to the curtain calls.
> 
> ...


Would be a shame to omit that thrilling climatic soprano aria especially rendered by artist as skilled as Devia, fabulous bold powerful brava!


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## schigolch (Jun 26, 2011)

These days, Donizetti's _Roberto Devereux_ is being staged at my hometown, with Mariella Devia, Gregory Kunde and Silvia Tro Santafé singing. I have had the opportunity to attend a nice performance. Let's hear this energetic cabaletta: "Ah ritorna qual ti spero", in the voice of Beverly Sills:


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## schigolch (Jun 26, 2011)

In 1844, Verdi added one aria to _Ernani_, to be sung by the tenor Nicolaj Ivanov. This was done at the request of Rossini, who was a great fan of the singer, and also convinced Verdi to do a similar thing for _Attila_, a couple of years later, and even Mercadante for a performance of his _Le due illustri rivali_.

Let's listen to Luciano Pavarotti singing the piece, with the cabaletta "Sprezzo la vita né più m'alletta":


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

schigolch said:


> These days, Donizetti's _Roberto Devereux_ is being staged at my hometown, with Mariella Devia, Gregory Kunde and Silvia Tro Santafé singing. I have had the opportunity to attend a nice performance. Let's hear this energetic cabaletta: "Ah ritorna qual ti spero", in the voice of Beverly Sills:


One word:_ Stunning _:tiphat:


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

Does this count? The trio finale of Act 2 of Norma.


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## schigolch (Jun 26, 2011)

Seattleoperafan said:


> Does this count? The trio finale of Act 2 of Norma.


Indeed. In fact, both in the end of Act1 and in the end of Act2 we can find the Rossini code in action. 

For Act1, this is a *Scena e Terzetto*, with the following schema:

Recitativo: C major --- "Oh, non tremare, oh perfido"
Cantabile: B flat major --- "Oh! Di qual sei tu vittima"
Tempo di mezzo: E flat major --- "or basti...fermati"
Stretta: G minor / G major --- "Vanne, sì, mi lascia, indegno"​
The final element is called 'stretta' instead of 'cabaletta' because is an ensemble piece for three singers, and not a solo, or a duet.

The final of Act2 is identified in the score as *Scena ed Aria Finale

*Recitativo: A flat major --- "olà, ministri, sacerdoti"​Cantabile:	G major --- "Qual cor tradisti"​Tempo di mezzo: C major --- "Norma!... deh! Norma, scolpati..."​Stretta: E minor / E major --- "Deh! non volerli vittime"​


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

schigolch said:


> Indeed. In fact, both in the end of Act1 and in the end of Act2 we can find the Rossini code in action.
> 
> For Act1, this is a *Scena e Terzetto*, with the following schema:
> 
> ...


I am el stupido! Of course the end of the opera is fabulous, but I MEANT to say the finale of Act 1: SCENE 2, the trio where Sutherland and Radvanovsky hit those marvelous High D's after the pounding of the timpani.


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## schigolch (Jun 26, 2011)

_Il giuramento_ was an opera by Saverio Mercadante, with a libretto by Gaetano Rossi, premiered at La Scala, back in 1837. Like other operas from Mercadante, it was a great success, but it was performed rarely after the 1880s. There are however, a few recordings available for anyone interested.

Bianca is a role for a mezzo/contralto (it was sung by Marietta Brambilla at the premiere) with a pretty good number, the cavatina "Era stella del mattino", that we can hear below (the cabaletta starts at 7:15):


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

schigolch said:


> _Il giuramento_ was an opera by Saverio Mercadante, with a libretto by Gaetano Rossi, premiered at La Scala, back in 1837. Like other operas from Mercadante, it was a great success, but it was performed rarely after the 1880s. There are however, a few recordings available for anyone interested.
> 
> Bianca is a role for a mezzo/contralto (it was sung by Marietta Brambilla at the premiere) with a pretty good number, the cavatina "Era stella del mattino", that we can hear below (the cabaletta starts at 7:15):
> 
> ]


Thank you very much schigolch, I just ordered one for €11.00 delivered at my door .
Zamperie and Baltsa singing.


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## Azol (Jan 25, 2015)

I second everyone on the brilliant cabaletta from *I Lombardi*. Deutekom has set a milestone performing the role of Giselda.

Also, I see that no one has mentioned what I believe to be one of the most exciting cabalettas of the _bel canto _genre - from *La Donna del Lago *("Cielo! in qual estasi"):


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## Azol (Jan 25, 2015)

Also, there was mention of *Il Corsaro*, but I think not in relation to Seid's cabaletta "Siavvicina il tuo momento"

Here it is for your enjoyment as performed by Gian-Piero Mastromei:






Early Verdi operas is a treasure trove of fantastic cabalettas.
Let me mention one more example from *Attila *- "Da te questo or m'e concesso"

One hell of a ride, by Cheryl Studer! (still, I give the edge to Deutekom in this case as well)


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## Sloe (May 9, 2014)

Azol said:


> Let me mention one more example from *Attila *- "Da te questo or m'e concesso"
> 
> One hell of a ride, by Cheryl Studer! (still, I give the edge to Deutekom in this case as well)


My impression of Atilla is that every part of the opera is building up to the next cabaletta.


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## Azol (Jan 25, 2015)

Sloe said:


> My impression of Atilla is that every part of the opera is building up to the next cabaletta.


Ha-ha, maybe you are right 
All in all, from early Verdi operas I enjoy Nabucco, Attila and Lombardi the most.


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## schigolch (Jun 26, 2011)

Germont's cabaletta "No, non udrai rimproveri" from_ La Traviata_.

_No, non udrai rimproveri;_
_Copriam d'oblio il passato;_
_L'amor che m'ha guidato,_
_Sa tutto perdonar._
_Vieni, i tuoi cari in giubilo_
_Con me rivedi ancora:_
_A chi penò finora_
_Tal gioia non negar._
_Un padre ed una suora_
_T'affretta a consolar._

This is usually cut, but without any real valid reason from my point of view. Imagine Germont père singing the canzonetta "Di Provenza" and then the reaction of Alfredo is... go to Paris. At least, with the cabaletta there is some interaction between Alfredo and his father, that makes the action much more fluent. True, in purely musical terms, we are not losing a lot.


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

schigolch said:


> Germont's cabaletta "No, non udrai rimproveri" from_ La Traviata_.
> 
> _No, non udrai rimproveri;_
> _Copriam d'oblio il passato;_
> ...


I do have a "bootleg" from this performance, one of the best I've ever seen, Cotrubas is heartbreaking.


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## graziesignore (Mar 13, 2015)

I also don't understand why "No non udrai rimproveri" gets cut so often, as it is a delightful bit of music in and of itself. My favorite version:


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## schigolch (Jun 26, 2011)

What's then about Alfredo's "O mio rimorso"?.

After praising the blissfulness of his life with Violetta, Alfredo is informed by Annina that Violetta is paying all the bills. Alfredo... just run to Paris.

Or wait a minute. Perhaps he does something before going to Paris?. Yes, he is supposed to sing this cabaletta:

_O mio rimorso! O infamia_
_E vissi in tale errore?_
_Ma il turpe sogno a frangere_
_Il ver mi balenò._
_Per poco in seno acquetati,_
_O grido dell'onore;_
_M'avrai securo vindice;_
_Quest'onta laverò._

Well, arguably this is not the most inspired piece in _La Traviata_, but in my view it doesn't make sense to cut this cabaletta, either. The cut just contributes to portrait Alfredo as a young man with a ten years old brain, and rob us of at least one moment of grief and remorse, something resembling adulthood.

This is Alfredo Kraus, singing Alfredo Germont :


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## schigolch (Jun 26, 2011)

Let's get back to Bellini, and to his "I Capuleti e i Montecchi". Tebaldo, the rival of Romeo for the love of Giulietta, is a tenor role, and we can listen to Luciano Pavarotti singing the cavatina:


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

schigolch said:


> Let's get back to Bellini, and to his "I Capuleti e i Montecchi". Tebaldo, the rival of Romeo for the love of Giulietta, is a tenor role, and we can listen to Luciano Pavarotti singing the cavatina:


Nice to see Luciano's name, hardly mentioned on this forum, well I like his voice, speciality from the early days.


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## schigolch (Jun 26, 2011)

_Rosmonda d'Inghilterra_ has been staged recently at the 2016 Donizetti Festival, at Pesaro, more than 150 years after the last performance at Livorno. However, it presents the quite interesting rivalry of a seasoned woman, Leonora di Guienna, a role for a soprano sfogato premiered by Anna del Serre, and a very young girl, Rosmonda, a lighter soprano voice, that was premiered by Fanny Tacchinardi Persiani.

The original ending was quite straigthforward for the period, with Rosmonda being stabbed by Leonora, and curtain. As usual, this was not very well received, and Donizetti prepared a cabaletta for a series of performances at Naples (that were finally canceled), "Tu!, spergiuro, disumano", that was also used in the recording of Opera Rara:


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## Barelytenor (Nov 19, 2011)

graziesignore said:


> I also don't understand why "No non udrai rimproveri" gets cut so often, as it is a delightful bit of music in and of itself. My favorite version:


Excellent baritone! Who is it?

:tiphat:

Kind regards,

George


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

Barelytenor said:


> Excellent baritone! Who is it?
> 
> :tiphat:
> 
> ...


I do thinks it's Giorgio Zancanaro .


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## schigolch (Jun 26, 2011)

"L'ara o l'avello apprestami" is a Verdi's cabaletta from _Luisa Miller_. coming just to close the wonderful number "oh! fede negar potessi...Quando le sere al placido", both great music, and a great portrait of the young Rodolfo.

We can listen to Josep Carreras, that was a very celebrated Rodolfo, singing this piece:


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

schigolch said:


> "L'ara o l'avello apprestami" is a Verdi's cabaletta from _Luisa Miller_. coming just to close the wonderful number "oh! fede negar potessi...Quando le sere al placido", both great music, and a great portrait of the young Rodolfo.
> 
> We can listen to Josep Carreras, that was a very celebrated Rodolfo, singing this piece:


Such a fine fresh voice, love it.


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## BaritoneAssoluto (Jun 6, 2016)

" E gettate la mia Sorte" from Attila





Oh and by the way, I'm back!


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

BaritoneAssoluto said:


> " E gettate la mia Sorte" from Attila
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Tanks goodness you mention that, otherwise someone would have hacked your account.


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## BaritoneAssoluto (Jun 6, 2016)

Pugg said:


> Tanks goodness you mention that, otherwise someone would have hacked your account.


Really? Didn't know that. Thanks for the tip, Pugg!


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

BaritoneAssoluto said:


> Really? Didn't know that. Thanks for the tip, Pugg!


I still looking forward: us doing the Pearl Fischer duet.


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

I read this thread and I feel so uninformed!!!!!!!!! Ya'll know a lot!!!!!!!!!!!


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## schigolch (Jun 26, 2011)

"Regnava nel silenzo" is arguably today the most popular fragment in Donizetti's _Lucia di Lammermoor_. This was not always the case, even the soprano of the premiere, the great diva Fanny Tacchinardi Persiani, actually preferred the alternative aria "Perché non ho del vento".

However, after the atmospheric cantabile there is no denying that in the cabaletta "Quando rapito in estasi" we feel like the coming of the Light. Also, this is a perfect piece for a soprano: agilities, high notes...

Let's hear the Italian singer, and renowned Donizetti specialist, Mariella Devia singing the cabaletta:


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## Annied (Apr 27, 2017)

I feel cheated, all my favourites are already here. Never mind, there might be a few surprised members finding they're suddenly getting extra "likes" for posts they wrote 2 years ago!


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## schigolch (Jun 26, 2011)

In 1850, Giuseppe Verdi premiered _Stiffelio_, with a libretto by Piave based on the French play, "Le pasteur". It was soon in trouble, as other Verdian operas, due to problems with the censorship. The plot involved a Protestant minister and his adulterous wife, and it was not a well liked subject either in the Austrian Empire or in the Italian theaters. Musically, it was rather weak and not among the best operas of the great composer.

A few years later, a revision under the name of _Aroldo_ was staged. The plot was similar but using now a Crusader and the Middle Ages to remove any lingering modern religious overtones. More interestingly, Verdi also introduced important changes in the score.

This is the great aria of the soprano, "Ah, dagli scanni eterei". In the _Stiffelio_ version, it ended with the cabaletta "Perder dunque voi volete questa misera", but in the _Aroldo_'s, the cabaletta "Ah, dal sen di quella tromba", was used for the same purpose. Let's hear the Spanish soprano Montserrat Caballé singing the piece:


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## schigolch (Jun 26, 2011)

In 1850, Giuseppe Verdi premiered _Stiffelio_, with a libretto by Piave based on the French play, "Le pasteur". It was soon in trouble, as other Verdian operas, due to problems with the censorship. The plot involved a Protestant minister and his adulterous wife, and it was not a well liked subject either in the Austrian Empire or in the Italian theaters. Musically, it was rather weak and not among the best operas of the great composer.

A few years later, a revision under the name of _Aroldo_ was staged. The plot was similar but using now a Crusader and the Middle Ages to remove any lingering modern religious overtones. More interestingly, Verdi also introduced important changes in the score.

This is the great aria of the soprano, "Ah, dagli scanni eterei". In the _Stiffelio_ version, it ended with the cabaletta "Perder dunque voi volete questa misera", but in the _Aroldo_'s, the cabaletta "Ah, dal sen di quella tromba", was used for the same purpose. Let's hear Montserrat Caballé singing the piece:


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## DarkAngel (Aug 11, 2010)

Thanks for posting that, I had heard "quella tromba" before on this great young Monzi collection, she was very exciting cabaletta singer in her early career


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

DarkAngel said:


> Thanks for posting that, I had heard "quella tromba" before on this great young Monzi collection, she was very exciting cabaletta singer in her early career


Must have for all opera lovers those discs.


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## schigolch (Jun 26, 2011)

"La Favorite" or "La favorita"?.

The Italian translation of Donizetti's drama was for a long time the preferred option, but lately we are witnessing how the French, original, version is getting more exposure.

Personally, I learned the piece in the Italian version, but I have to agree that now I do like more the French. Recently, I attended a performance at Teatro Real, and it was the French one.

Let's hear the scena ending with the cabaletta 'Viens, je cède éperdu au transport qui m'enivre':


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

Renee Fleming's Rosmonda second aria and cabaletta with end D6

:angel:


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## schigolch (Jun 26, 2011)

In Rossini's _Semiramide_ (premiered at Venice, in 1823), Prince Assur has helped Queen Semiramide to kill her husband, and now he wants his rewad: marry her and ascend the throne. But Semiramide is waiting for Arsace, his own son, to be the king's successor. When Assur is aware of this, he is enraged and seeks revenge.

This powerful scene: "Deh! ti ferma ... Que' numi furenti", is sung here by Samuel Ramey, including the two verses of the cabaletta:


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## schigolch (Jun 26, 2011)

When there are more than two singers involved, instead of cabaletta we use the name of stretta. In the case of a duet, both cabaletta and stretta can be used.

Let's listen to Rossini himself, "Bianca e Falliero", with a libretto by Felice Romani and premiered at La Scala, back in 1819:


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## schigolch (Jun 26, 2011)

One of the great adventures of the Bel Canto period was the full development of the baritone voice. And, of course, one of these wonderful new roles was Sir Riccardo Forth, the Puritan leader in love with the young Elvira in Bellini's "I puritani". His first intervention in the opera is a full scena, that ends in a beautiful cabaletta, 'Bel sogno beato':


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## SanyiKocka (May 6, 2020)

The cabaletta of Ernani involami
The very famous Di quella pira.


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