I'm not only into big ol' honkin' voices. I'm a big ol' bel canto slut, too!
Elina Garança, 2009, the Met:
I saw this production (thanks to the generosity of a friend with an extra ticket) and loved it. It was the first time I heard the wonder that is Lawrence Brownlee, and the first time I heard Elina Garança live. I might have made a few choices other than those the director made, but overall it was amazing.
I suppose there's no avoiding Cecilia bartoli on a post like this. Here she is in the same production at the Met, 1997:
If you really want something fun, turn the sound off to watch her!
The incomparable Frederica von Stade, in a 1981 movie by Jean-Pierre Ponelle:
(If I were marrying Francisco Araiza, I'd be singing 32nd notes of joy, too!)
I adore Francisco Araiza, so I'll give you his aria from the same movie:
**sigh** Isn't he dreamy?
Because I am here to educate as well as entertain, here is a performance of Henri Herz's (1803-1888) Variations on "Non piu mesta", played by Earl Wild:
2 comments:
Love the video clips! Cenerentola is one of my very favorite (non-baroque) operas. We had a wonderful cast and production in Raleigh in 2008. I loved it so much I wound up seeing 3 of the 4 performances!
It's a terrific opera, and I imagine the only limitation in performing it more often is finding a suitable cast. (Although one sees opera productions often where that doesn't seem to have been a consideration!)
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