Word: aria
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...sheer volume and range are less important here than lyric grace and vocal agility. But in some of Mozart's more convoluted ensembles--"Figaro" boasts several scenes in which more than six people are singing simultaneously--that agility can be just as difficult as a louder and showier Verdi aria. Just the elaborate recitatives, which are crucial to advance the plot, require a daunting combination of comic skill and vocal dexterity. What's more, "Figaro" has at least five major singing roles, and a weak voice in any of them would hurt the opera considerably...
Every character gets a solo aria or two to set out his or her essential nature: Figaro is clever and good-hearted, the Countess is heart-broken, the Count is imperious, Cherubino is perpetually lovesick. Almost without exception, this cast handles the famous arias beautifully Saccente has a strong voice and stage presence, and none of Figaro's comic nuances escape him; he is excellent in the patter of 'Aprite un po, Figaro's attack on female infidelity, and in the touching final duet with Susanna. Benaim, as the Count, has perhaps the most pleasing voice in the cast, combining...
...Saturday's performance, however, she was the only cast member to lack adequate volume, and was usually drowned out in the ensembles. She was shown to best advantage in the recitatives and in her fourth-act aria, 'Deh vieni non tardar,' which allowed her voice's sheer loveliness to dominate the stage...
...second song, "Pirate Jenny," her voice became a subdued staccato. Slowly she began to unwind, which took noticeable effort. By the time she was on the floor finishing an aria, she was out-stretched in order to breathe more freely. When she sang the jazzy "Boulevard of Broken Dreams," her breathy voice conveyed the song's suffering. Though Faithfull usually knows her range, holding a note sometimes produced a self-effacing strain in songs which require crackle...
...inspired him to make "mutant music for a mutant age." His stylistically eclectic CD Maxinquaye is driven by churning, yearning hip-hop rhythms accentuated by grungy guitar riffs. On the track Pumpkin, Tricky recycles guitar licks from the alternative-rock band Smashing Pumpkins and inserts them into a haunting aria. On Black Steel he employs a female vocalist, Martine, to cover a song by the black-nationalist rap group Public Enemy...