Lea Ann: Just a note of caution from a teacher and singer. If I'm remembering the details from your previous posts correctly, you are preparing for a recital in a relatively short amount of time, are learning several pieces of new music within that short time, and were originally going to sing "Nel cor..." from the 24 or 26 Italian songs and arias. I also remember that you haven't been with the new teacher for very long, and am suspecting this is the reason why you need to learn things so quickly, as you haven't built up a repertoire with her yet. Learning this amount of new music for performance will indeed be an undertaking and should be approached with thoughtfulness and care. I would actually ask my teacher for suggestions of several possibilities, since she best knows your level of expertise and technical ability. You might then make a choice from these suggestions, so that you have artistic input, but so that you make sure not to take on more than is appropriate for your ability level. Those of us on the list can give you marvelous suggestions, but we've never heard you sing! There's a big difference between "Nel cor..." and jumping into the operatic mezzo repertoire (although the Cherubino arias would be a good first choice if you want to go there). Using "Nel cor" as a guideline, since that's what you were originally planning, the arias in the basic anthologies are time-tested as being very accessible to the less experienced singer. "Danza danza" or "Gia il sole dal Gange" from the basic books would be challenging and instructive. From other sources, "Chi vuol la Zingarella" (already mentioned) is a safe bet without being too difficult, or you might want to look at something by Stefano Donaudy (songs done in the style of the aria antiche), perhaps "Spirate pur, spirate" which is full of lovely runs (but needs good breath management abilities).
Best of luck! Sharon Szymanski
The Szymanski Studio -"encouraging excellence in the vocal arts"
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