> Question for all the teachers out there and anyone else who is > involved with baroque opera: would you ornament arias > differently for a (degree) recital than you would for an audition or > a performance of said aria within the context of the opera? I have > Tornami a vaggheggiar from Handel's Alcina as one of my Italian > selections and have had the question come up. My teacher is > away for a few weeks this summer and is not readily available > for questioning.
Hi Lisa, good question! First thing to keep in mind is that in some auditions, the jurors might only hear the A section of the aria once. At least, at some schools where I have auditioned, I have sung let's say the A section of Piangero (ornamented) and then the B section. Kind of stupid I know, but people do things for the sake of time. I know this Alcina aria and love it very much. I heard Natalie Dessay sing it over the radio in a broadcast of Alcina - she went full out, complete with a high F at the end, and all!!! If I put this on my degree recital, I'd also go full out with the ornamentation - this aria also just lends itself to showy interpolations everywhere, to my mind. Obviously, you must maintain some of the original, and be within reason, but even the un-ornamented A section is already quite a sing. If it were... Credete al mio dolore (also in the same opera, also sung by Morgana,very slow, sad and beautiful) for example, I think I'd approach it differently, and ornament sparingly in both the recital and audition venue. All ornaments should be in character, and should portray an emotion - in Tornami, it might be extreme joy and excitement, in Piangero, it would be sadness. Good for you, for choosing this wonderful aria (can you tell I love Baroque music??!!). Best of luck on your recital - what else is on your programme?
Hope this helps,
Fiona
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