On Mon, 15 Oct 2001, Dolphin aura wrote:
> I am looking for duets to sing with two females,
> soprano/mezzo and any voicing. I do not want to do
> the flower duet, but something very similar. I cannot
> do the flower duet as it is being showcased in another recital.
Presuming that by "something very similar", you mean you'd like something
lovely and lyrical, rather than comic, raucous, etc., I would suggest the
following:
Offenbach: Barcarolle ("Belle nuit, o nuit d'amour") from LES CONTES
D'HOFFMANN
Mozart: Sull'aria from LE NOZZE DI FIGARO - technically for two sopranos,
but I've sung the Countess' part in this duet with absolutely no
difficulty. If your audience are very opera-savvy, they might poo-poo the
"mis-voicing" of the duet; frankly, I say too hell with such opera snobs -
it's a glorious duet, and you should be able to sing it if you want.
From Handel's GIULIO CESARE: Caro...Bella (duet for Cesare and Cleopatra).
From Humperdinck's HANSEL UND GRETEL: "Abends will ich schlafen gehn" (the
Evening Hymn)
From Gluck's ORFEO ED EURIDICE: Vieni, appaga il tuo consorte
Tchaikovsky: The opening duet from EUGENE ONEGIN - it's actually scored as
two overlapping duets - I'm thinking of the half for Tatiana and Olga. A
friend and I excerpted this from the four-person scene and it was quite
well received in concert as a duet on its own. It is in Russian, however -
unless you sing it in translation - which may or may not be a problem for
you.
Somewhat more challenging musically, the "Flower Duet" from Puccini's
MADAMA BUTTERFLY, is also quite lovely - exquisitely so in the final
moments of close harmony.
There is also the "Presentation of the Rose" duet - "Mir ist die ehre
Widerfahren" - from Richard Strauss's DER ROSENKAVALIER.
Another lovely duet, but one of the most difficult vocally in the
repertoire, is the "Mira, O Norma" duet from Bellini's NORMA.
Please let us know if you are limited to opera duets.
Karen Mercedes
===
On Neil Shicoff - http://www.radix.net/~dalila/shicoff/shicoff.html
On yours truly - http://www.radix.net/~dalila/index.html
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