Mozart and … Ladies

before a couple of years, when I was much younger then now…,  I had an idea to make a concert program about Mozart.

For the persons with knows me it’s nothing new… I love Mozart music and if it’s possible I always do Mozart…

This time it should be a spacial program with “The Lady” like a special character – like a person with is described with the music. I don’t know any other composer, with could make it so perfect like Wolfgang Amadeus.

We begin with “Le nozze di Figaro” KV 492

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QQEq8lsDQd8]

Could You imagine better music description for a “Countess” (Gräfin, Contessa) from the “Wedding of Figaro” (Figaros Hochzeit, La nozze di Figaro)? A Countess – a Lady, with know exactly about her position like a wife – maybe no more so attractive like Susanna (her maid, fiancee of Figaro), but still loves her husband (The Count) and trying to win his love back…

Roma Handke – Jakubowska (Countess): Aria “Porgi amor”

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VhLATXVspA]

Or later, the famous letter-scene “Su L’Aria” from the third Act, where this two ladies – Countess and Susanna are planning an intrigue for the Count…

Roma Handke – Jakubowska (Countess) and Agnieszka Hauzer (Susanna): Duet “Su L’Aria”

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cs5X2qE3-No]

Or this very characteristic portrait of Susanna from the 4-th Act, where is she dressed in Countess clothes, waiting for the Count and dreaming about to be in a better life – the life of the Countess…

Agnieszka Hauzer (Susanna): Aria “Giunse alfin il momento”

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9tAJfIUjA4]

“Don Giovanni” KV 572

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVHRVuqE-Sg]

In this genius Opera, Mozart shows us a drama of Don Giovanni, who such sure about his power want to with the God and His rules… Of course Don Giovanni can not win, but before he loses, he made a lot of bad things – one of that is killing the father of Donna Anna. In this moment, when she learns about Don Giovanni’s crime, promises him revenge – “vendetta”…

Agnieszka Hauzer (Donna Anna): Aria “Or sai chi l’onore”

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FoRjmH6bf74]

“La Clemenza di Tito” KV 621

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=USnV2Si5–Y]

Since Annio and Servilia, unbeknownst to Tito, are in love, this news is very unwelcome to both…

Aleksandra Resztik (Annio) and Agnieszka Hauzer (Servilia): Duet “Ah, perdona al primo affetto”

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUdLmQ1UE84]

And now two operas in German:

“Entführung aus dem Serail”

Blonde repulses the rough lovemaking attempts of Osmin, and threatens to scratch out his eyes.

Aleksandra Resztik (Blonde): Aria: “Durch Zärtlichkeit und Schmeicheln” – “With smiles and kind caresses”

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHeqbPOtd6Q]

“Die Zauberflöte” (“Magic flute”)

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S4oxsLFRg5A]

The opera was the culmination of a period of increasing involvement by Mozart with Schikaneder’s theatrical troupe, which since 1789 had been the resident company at the Theater auf der Wieden. Mozart’s participation increased with his contributions to the 1790 collaborative opera Der Stein der Weisen (The Philosopher’s Stone), including the duet (“Nun liebes Weibchen”, K. 625/592a) and perhaps other passages. Like The Magic Flute, Der Stein der Weisen was a fairy-tale opera and can be considered a kind of precursor; it employed much the same cast in similar roles.

The Queen of the Night now appears. She tells Tamino that the girl in the portrait, Pamina, is her daughter, who has been captured by her enemy, Sarastro. She demands that Tamino go to Sarastro’s temple and rescue Pamina, promising that he can marry Pamina in return.

Anna Terlecka (Quin of the night) Recitative and aria: “O zittre nicht, mein lieber Sohn” (“Oh, tremble not, my dear son! You are innocent, wise, pious”)

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5U9xbFGLC4]

Monostatos approaches and gazes upon Pamina with rapture. (Aria: “Alles fühlt der Liebe Freuden”) He is about to kiss her sleeping face, when the Queen of the Night appears and frightens him away. She wakes Pamina and gives her a dagger, ordering her to kill Sarastro with it.

Anna Terlecka (Quin of the night): Aria: “Der Hölle Rache kocht in meinem Herzen” (“Hell’s vengeance boils in my heart”).

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHGJcTxYooA]

And now, like an encore, the most difficult things for sopranos – Concert arias

Apart from only denoting loose arias for singer and orchestra, the term is also used to indicate arias which were specifically composed for insertion into already-existing operas, either as additions to the score or as substitutions for other arias. These are sometimes performed in concerts because they are no longer required for their original purpose, though they were not, strictly speaking, composed for performance in concert.

The concert arias which are most commonly performed today were written of course by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart…

Popoli di Tessaglia! , KV 316, for soprano, with its two famous G6’s (ie, the G above high C, or 1568 Hz by modern concert pitch – according to the Guinness Book of Records the highest musical note ever scored for the human voice) that come shortly before the end. This aria was composed in order to be inserted into Gluck’s opera, Alcesteand also specifically to showcase the superlative vocal skills of Mozart’s sister-in-law, Aloysia Weber who was only 18 at the time. However sopranos who are able to cope with the aria’s demands have been few and far between, and the aria is usually omitted from performances of Alceste . It has been therefore redesignated a concert aria, to be presented in concerts by such rare singers as are able to deliver its fiendishly difficult coloratura.

And now really the last encore:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6jSLscwP_go]

Hope You enjoyed… 🙂