Some possibilities of good first roles for a budding soubrette soprano to
learn follow. These are based on my observations, over the past five years
or so, of which operas seem to be performed the most often at all different
levels, from amateur companies and shoestring local "one off" productions,
to local, regional, and national professional companies, to "world class"
companies like the Met, Covent Garden, Paris Opera, La Scala, Wiener
Staatsoper, etc.
THE FIRST, MOST IMPORTANT ROLE YOU WILL EVER LEARN:
Susanna, in Mozart's LE NOZZE DI FIGARO
This is an opera that gets performed A LOT, and is probably the single most
useful role for any soubrette to have in her "arsenal".
THREE MORE, ALMOST AS IMPORTANT:
Despina, in Mozart's COSI FAN TUTTE
Gretel, in Humperdinck's HANSEL UND GRETEL
Adele, in Johann Strauss's DIE FLEDERMAUS
OTHERS YOU'RE LIKELY TO NEED BEFORE YOU'RE 30:
Zerlina, in Mozart's DON GIOVANNI
Norina, in Donizetti's DON PASQUALE
Musetta, in Puccini's LA BOHEME
THESE OPERAS AREN'T PERFORMED QUITE AS OFTEN AS THE ABOVE,
BUT ARE STILL DONE A LOT (AND THUS THE ROLES ARE WORTH LEARNING):
Cleopatra, in Handel's GIULIO CESARE
Adina, in Donizetti's L'ELISIR D'AMORE
Clorinda, in Rossini's CENERENTOLA
Elvira, in Rossini's L'ITALIANA IN ALGERI
Olympia, in Offenbach's LES CONTES D'HOFFMANN
Papagena in Mozart's DIE ZAUBERFLOETE
Monica, in Menotti's THE MEDIUM
Sophie, in Massenet's WERTHER
Marzelline, in Beethoven's FIDELIO
NOT STRICTLY SOUBRETTE ROLES, BUT SUITABLE FOR SOUBRETTES, AND DONE A LOT:
Lucy, in Menotti's THE TELEPHONE
Polly Peachum, in Kurt Weill's DER DREIGROSCHENOPER (THREEPENNY OPERA)
Rose, in Kurt Weill's STREET SCENE
Frasquita, in Bizet's CARMEN
First Lady and Second Lady in Mozart's DIE ZAUBERFLOETE
OPERETTA ROLES TO BECOME FAMILIAR WITH:
Because operetta roles are much easier to learn and prepare than opera
roles, it's probably not necessary for you to actually LEARN these roles in
anticipation of hiring, but it would be a good idea to become very familiar
with the roles, and to learn the 1 or 2 main songs for each character (in
Valencienne's case, her songs are all duets with tenor or sung with
ensemble - but still worth learning) in anticipation of eventually
auditioning.
All the major Gilbert & Sullivan heroines (starting with Mabel in PIRATES
OF PENZANCE and Yum-Yum in MIKADO, the two most-performed G&S operettas)
Cunegonde, in Bernstein's CANDIDE (not an opera, but performed A LOT, so
definitely worth knowing)
Valencienne, in Lehar's DIE LUSTIGE WITWE (THE MERRY WIDOW)
Eurydice, in Offenbach's ORPHEE AUX ENFERS (ORPHEUS IN THE UNDERWORLD)
Karen Mercedes
http://www.radix.net/~dalila/index.html
P.S. I have left Rosina in BARBIERE DI SIVIGLIA off my lists for a reason:
the overwhelming trend nowadays is to perform the opera with Rosina sung in
the original mezzo/contralto key.
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