Somehow, it is impossible not to admire Bel Canto singers for the sheer beauty they offer us when they overcome the extreme difficulties of this type of musical work.
This Italian team on stage for these amazing concert versions of Roberto Devereux are true perfectionists in this Bel Canto world. The intensity of the singing abilities of the whole cast was striking this afternoon. This time, I had time to enjoy all the refined passages, feeling the weight on words, the tonal changes in the cabalettas and above all the tremendous emotion each singer poured in their parts, almost as if they were acting. Of course Stefano Secco did sing and act even more beautifully than on the first performance last tuesday. Mariella Devia also seemed to act more. In Act three, her voice was enriched with brassy shades, expressing the increase of the utter sufferings, when she rejects all she is and has, because of her lost love. I must admit I focussed on the couple Devia-Secco more, they offered a tremendous vocal chemistry and I noticed M. Devia took distance from the score. The House was packed, some of my friends came from Paris, and Italian fans made the journey to Marseilles! The applause lasted a long time and there was more crowd waiting for the singers at the stage door than ever! There is no need today to underline the love for Bel Canto in Provence! I was very proud of the head of this House, Mister Xiberras, who programmed such an opera with that cast. Mariella Devia has nothing to prove after a long and brilliant career and yet she gives her trills and most difficult singing art to us in one of the most difficult Donizetti's opera. I will definitely try to attend her performances either in Barcelona or Italy in 2013... Meanwhile I will be at the last performance here on Tusday the 29th. If only I could read the score and see the alterations in the cabalettas...
Mrs Devia, taking applause on the 22nd.
Mariella Devia was wearing a new dress today, in a different style, sober and classical, very elegant and classy too!
Cara how I envy you - you know how much I love Devia. Wonderful to read your thoughts on the performances as always. My friend Shelia made the trip from Vancouver to see last evenings performance.
ReplyDeleteDearest friend,
ReplyDeleteHow could we possibly meet tomorrow night ? Give your friend Sheila my Yahoo mail. It would be great.
I am going to make a link to your graet posts on Mariella Devia you really well know. Marseilles is fulfilling our dreams about this amazing singer.
(the weeather is incredibly warm and sunny... I know I shouldn't say so, but Sheila will find a real change)
Lots of miss print today... great... weather, of course...
ReplyDeletePlease could you send some of your lovely weeather??
ReplyDeleteHave you got a score? If not - free download ( and a lott of printing! ) at ...
http://imslp.org/wiki/Roberto_Devereux_(Donizetti,_Gaetano)
It's not fair, I know, this weather unequal treatment...shouldn't mention it... thanks for this link, sometimes it is quite easy to find scores on the web, but for this work I did not succeed... so... that is very nice. Excuse my lack of participation lately. I must go back to Epic music after this delirious Bel Canto period. So long!
ReplyDeleteDear Eyesometric, I spent some time last night on this hand-written score, it is fascinatng to see how high the notes are above the scope (portée?) I found it difficult to read but easy to follow with Mrs. Devia singing. I concentrated on one passage and I tried hard to follow her role. It is an amazing type of 'writing' is it already a hand copy of the original? I am off to Marseilles for the last concert version. For me, in my sort of opera background it is a unique opportunity to 'understand' this type of music. Thank you so much!
ReplyDelete