> Perhaps to save the CTs from fuming at this one. (though I'm sure you will!)
> Octavian *is* always sung by a woman. So is Baba the Turk, Cherubino etc.
Actually, Brian Azawa has sung Baba the Turk at San Francisco Opera and in
one other venue (Washington?), and several years ago, David Walker had a
contract for a Cherubino in Europe, though I don't remember where or if it
came to pass. Octavian...now we've moved into a totally different level of
orchestration. I do remember hearing David Daniels sing an aria from
Rossini's Semiramide and I assumed he had made plans to assay the role,
but ???
> Opera isn't just about sound, and a male presence with a sound we've come
> to associate with female vocalism is quite appropriate for all roles
> originally written for castrati.
Speak for thyself, John! (Knew that 8th grade education would come in
handy!) Everyone has their own reasons for loving opera. For me, the
sound is everything. I approach my vocal listening with the same tools I
use to hear a symphony, concerto or sonata. I am looking for emotional
honesty parlayed through beautiful tone. Chacun a son gout! (knew that
college education would come in handy!)
Mark Montgomery
|
|  |
