Coloratura Comparison - Mozart: Concert aria K.419 No, che non sei capace, 28 High Es, Live!
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 20 июл 2020
- This is the third entry in my series comparing sopranos singing a section from the concert arias Mozart concert wrote for Aloysia Weber. She was his primary soprano artistic muse, gifted with one of the most prodigious coloratura soprano voices in history.
K.419 "No, che non sei capace" was composed by Mozart as one of two substitution arias for Aloysia to perform when she was in Vienna singing the role of Clorinda in Anfossi’s opera "Il curioso indiscreto" in 1783. It's a totally obscure opera now; if it attracts any interest at all it is because of Mozart's arias.
K.419 is a relatively short piece (under five minutes long) written in C major. The bold "cold open" bars remind me a bit of the beginning "Martern aller arten" from Mozart's "Abduction from the Seraglio" (also in C major). Scan through RUclips to hear that gripping opening and/or several complete recordings of the aria, because I'm focusing here on the climactic section at the end of the aria (measures 105 to 144). It's an emphatic allegro assai that culminates in a series of vocal volleys back and forth between E5 and High C6, with quick trills spliced in between -- then capped with a quick High E6. I was trying to think of a good metaphor for this sequence of vocal leaps - and I thought it was rather like a soprano coloratura trampoline!
Listen for crisp articulation of the short notes (technically not written as staccato but usually and most effectively performed that way because the tempo is so fast), spot on pitch for the fleet intervals (especially those two High Es), and whether those eight interstitial trills are clearly articulated. And, of course, the soprano should also embody a certain confident panache that makes a display piece like this truly soar.
I believe these are all either live performances or radio transmissions - so no chance for a retake that one one might get in a commercial studio recording.
PS: I wrote in the title of this video that there are 28 High Es (two each for 14 sopranos), but actually there are only 27 High E's because one of these 14 ladies drops one; you'll have to listen to find out who. And then to decide: who sang it best?
14 sopranos presented in alphabetical order:
1. Pierrette Alarie (1921 - 2011) - CBC 1956
2. Erna Berger (1900 - 1990) - Berlin 1947
3. Sabine Devieilhe - Paris 2014
4. Sylvia Greenberg - Salzburg 1984
5. Edita Gruberova - Graz 1991
6. Ingeborg Hallstein - Salzburg 1966
7. Beverly Hoch - Cleveland 1985
8. Magda Nador - Salzburg 1986
9. Elizabeth Parcells (1951 - 2005) - Salzburg 1979
10. Ruth-Margret Pütz (1930 - 2019) - Stuttgart 1959
11. Joan Sutherland (1926 - 2010) - BBC 1956
12. Elisabeth Vidal - Paris 2005
13. Dorothea Wirtz - Salzburg 1984
14. Patricia Wise - Germany circa 1982 
Видеоклипы
My favourite is Joan Sutherland. She has that special combination of oppulent sound, great agility and angelic timber. There's something very unforced and almost liquid-quality in her singing that sets her apart from the rest. I also liked Hallstein really much
Devieilhe, by a margin in my opinion, precision of tempo, articulation and sound , plus maintaining the lightness and effortlessness, in a different class. The Sutherland recording quality was a pity as it didn't do her full justice.
Great to see you and hear your expertise!
Thank you kindly!
Although I'm a big fan of Dessay's or Jo's performances (the ease!), I'm very very happy to see Elizabeth Parcells in here, even though I think she was grand in other pieces than this particular one.
Where is Karola Agay?
Beverly Hoch Killed it 😍🥰
I love this aria in part because singing "you know nothing!" at the beginning is just so much fun, although I find it a bit exhausting (especially with arguably the hardest part at the end). I think my favorite of these is Patricia Wise, although it sounds like she undershoots the Es a tiny bit. I like her tone, precision on the ascending chromatics, and trills. I'd say Greenberg is a close second.
Hallstein to me: such ease and delicate expression and phrasing. Then Sutherland. Some inexplicable renditions here though...
Devieilhe is my favorite. Many excellent performances otherwise.
I thought YOU were the best - your introduction. Thank you. I look forward to more little oases of proper. Only Gruberova and Vidal sang what Mozart actually wrote. I LOVE Alarie and Berger - but who marked those breaths for them? Hallstein as ever is enchanting. Sutherland is astonishing - the size of it all, drowning the orchestra, and those trills. But some of the top is off-centre, and she doesn't truly make either of the Es. I do always love Hoch. I'm not helping, am I. Okay, I'm going with Vidal because her photograph is so bonkers.
Beverly Hoch is my favorite coloratura soprano. So my opinion may be bias
Sutherland is uncharacteristically pitchy throughout. I'm gonna go out on a limb and say my favorite was actually Sylvia Greenberg. I like her unusually weighty coloratura (reminds me of Sills); her rendition isn't perfect and sparkling like Devieilhe's, but she makes more interesting musical choices. Elisabeth Vidal is awful, but she has the best hat, so she wins. (Thanks for these vids, btw.)
Hoch the best. But my humble opinion listen Edda Moser or Natalie Dessay....better than the 14th..