On Sat, 27 Jan 2001, thomas mark montgomery wrote:
>
> What a great opportunity to celebrate the music of Giuseppe Verdi, who
> died one hundred years ago. I have been listening to some of my favorite
> Verdi performances this week (ye Taylor, I have worn out Simionato singing
> "O don fatale" - does anyone match that in voice and style? ;p). I feel
> so lucky to be part of a community who has access to the music of
> this great musical mind. What are your favorite Verdi moments? For me,
> my favorite Verdi will always be the Philip-Grand Inquisitor scene from
> Don Carlo, with the Trovatore Leonora music a close second. Let's
> celebrate!
Grace Bumbry did a knock-out "O don fatale".
My favourite Verdi moments:
"Gia della notte densa" from OTELLO - one of the most gorgeous duets in
the rep, IMO.
The nonette from FALSTAFF Act I Scene 1 - some of the cleverest ensemble
writing in opera - a charming masterpiece (and this from someone who
doesn't care for that opera otherwise).
The Act III trio ("Giorni poveri vivea") for Azucena, di Luna, and
Ferrando from IL TROVATORE. Mark Helprin, in A SOLDIER OF THE GREAT WAR,
also cited the line "Madre non dormi" from Act IV as the most exquisitely
beautiful single line of music ever written. Not sure I'd agree with that
hyperbole, but that duet - and the trio following, with Azucena, Manrico,
and Leonora - are also fabulous.
The final scene of Verdi's MACBETH ("Mal per me che m'affidai...Salgan mie
grazie a te") - first, this most glorious fugue for trumpets, followed by
the wonderful fight scene, and the deliciously bloodthirsty solos and
duets for Macduff and Malcolm, and ending with an exquisite chorus.
The well-worn but still glorious Carlo/Rodrigo duet from DON CARLO (second
only to the Pearlfishers duet for sheer glorious tenor/baritone harmony).
There are, of course, numerous other wonderful Verdi "moments", but those
are my favourites.
Karen Mercedes
=====
My NEIL SHICOFF Website:
http://www.radix.net/~dalila/shicoff/shicoff.html
My Website:
http://www.radix.net/~dalila/index.html
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Es en balde, majo mio, que sigas hablando
porque hay cosas que contesto yo
siempre cantando:
Tra la la...
Por mas que preguntes tanto:
tra la la...
En mi no causas quebranto
ni yo he de salir de mi canto:
tra la la...
- Fernando Periquet
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