with nothing...I had been doing Laschia Chio Pianga...and had been told to
work on Cara Sposa as well...and now I am not sure why I was working on
those at all. OH and she had asked me to start that aria from Maria Stuarda
too...and the last time I saw her she didn't say a thing about any of
those...she said Strauss, something in English, and something in Italian but
it had to be light with lots of movement and be fun.
Lea Ann:
Rather than give up on the recital completely, what about singing just
one song really really well? (Or two if you can handle it!). In most of my
private recitals, this is what my students do. If you were in an academic
environment and preparing a larger offering, you would work up to it more
gradually, starting with one or two numbers on a more general recital first.
I think that "Lascia ch'io pianga" would be an excellent choice for the
recital, though it is slow. If it is already begun, it might be a safer bet
than starting a new Italian aria. Then, if you wanted to add another
selection, you could pick something lighter and more melismatic to contrast
it. The second selection could be in English to make it easier to memorize.
This is what I would advise considering your current situation and that of
your teacher's impending motherhood!
It's difficult for me to comment on the Strauss pieces without hearing
you sing. I wouldn't usually jump right to Strauss for a student's initial
foray into German song repertoire, but rather stick with Schubert, Mozart or
possibly Brahms. Still, your teacher may have had a good reason for
selecting these choices for you.
It would be nice for you to have the experience of performing this
spring, just maybe at a more manageable level. Discuss your concerns with
your teacher and I'm sure you can come up with a good solution.
Best of luck,
Sharon Szymanski
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