Karen, May I just say how amazing you are?
Your wealth of knowledge and resources continues to amaze and perplex me!
These are great suggestions. I'm going to start looking into them all right away!
Thanks so much!
Laura
-----Original Message----- From: Karen Mercedes [mailto:dalila@R...] Sent: Monday, October 01, 2001 1:52 PM To: Deal Diva Laura Cc: vocalist-temporary@yahoogroups.com Subject: Re: [vocalist] Halloween opera program...
Ulrica's aria from Act I, Sc 2 of Verdi's UN BALLO IN MASCHERA (dramatic mezzo or contralto).
The "Black Swan" scene from Menotti's THE MEDIUM, featuring dramatic mezzo/contralto (Baba) and lyric soprano (Monica), plus the non-vocal (mime) role of Toby. This is one of the more chilling scenes in opera, IMO, and features not only the ultra-creepy "Black Swan" aria sung by Monica, but a real dramatic tour-de-force opportunity for Baba. And poor Toby has a chance to be thoroughly terrorised without getting to utter a word.
The duet "Things are seldom what they seem" from Gilbert & Sullivan's H.M.S. PINAFORE - a wonderful send-up of "things mysterious" (contralto and lyric baritone).
Not just the witches' scene from MACBETH (which may be too elaborate), but also consider Lady M's sleepwalking scene (dramatic soprano).
The Graveyard scene from DON GIOVANNI, where the Don invites the Commendatore's statue to dinner; alternately, the last scene of the opera - where the Commendatore comes to dinner and Don G. gets his just desserts. (baritone, bass-baritone, bass - if you exclude the epilogue ensemble after Don G.'s descent into hell)
A "medley" of scenes from Marschner's DER VAMPYR - I'd suggest, if you have a good high baritone who can handle it, you start with Ruthven's tour-de-force aria, "Ha! Noch einen ganzen Tag...Ach! Welche Lust", followed by the first Ruthven/Aubry scene, in which Aubry learn's Ruthven's true nature, then Aubry's brief monologue and the second "Grand Scena" for Ruthven and Aubry, in which Aubry determines he must betray Ruthven's secret in order to save Malwina and Ruthven reminds him, quite graphically, of the gruesome revenge he will visit on Aubry if Aubry goes through with his planned betrayal, and ending with Aubry's "Madness or death!" aria ("Ha, wie das Grauenvolle bild") following the Grand Scena. (light lyric tenor/lyric baritone)
I'm not sure how "excerptable" it is, but you might also try excerpting the Seventh Door from Bartok's DUKE BLUEBEARD'S CASTLE (the door behind which Judith discover's his three previous (murdered) wives) (mezzo and baritone).
Karen Mercedes === On Neil Shicoff - http://www.radix.net/~dalila/shicoff/shicoff.html On yours truly - http://www.radix.net/~dalila/index.html
+-------------------------------------------------------+ | For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that | | appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. | | - James 4:14 | +-------------------------------------------------------+
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