Hi Lee:
You wrote:
>As much as I respect Lloyd's posts and his knowledge, I still hold that it's
>a silly idea. I certainly understand the casting thoughts that would lead
>in this direction, and I do find that intriguing, but unless it's a lyric
>mezzo voice that sits pretty high, the aria just lies too high. Although my
>range has dropped in the last few years, and I've moved to more dramatic
>repertory, in my youth my voice was on the high side of the mezzo category,
>and the role just sits too high.
Thanks for the kind thoughts. You will notice that I said " Musetta
is not infrequently sung by a lyric mezzo voice." which is a
backhanded way of saying that it is done without committing to how
frequently. I have directed a professional lyric mezzo in the role
and it work very well both for the production and for her. It is my
guess that many lyric mezzos are "betweeners" who can do soprano
roles if they are selected carefully. Musetta's approaches to her
two high notes do make this possible for some voices if the tessitura
can be negotiated. But a lyric or full lyric soprano is much more
comfortable vocally in the role. It is actually much more difficult
to cast the Mimi.
--
Lloyd W. Hanson
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