
This is the first of the three finales that I'm going to upload in the framework of the "Quintet" compilation. We return to "La donna del lago". PS Not to repeat myself, I would direct you to one of my previous uploads, "Qual pena in me gia desta" which includes a basic overview of the opera. To avoid any confusion, here is the list of singers and their respective roles: Elena - Katia Ricciarelli, Malcolm - Lucia Valentini-Terrani, Rodrigo di Dhu - Dano Raffanti, Douglas d'Angus - Samuel Ramey, Albina - Cecilia Valdenassi, Serano - Oslavio Di Credico. The Act One Finale is one of Rossini's most striking achievements. Not only is it one of his most beautiful pieces, it is also an incredibly dramatic scene which perfectly illustrates each change of the protagonists' situation. Most finales are built around the familiar "opening statement - suspension over time - final stretta as all leave the stage angry and confused" kind of structure. Rossini's piece isn't exactly breaking the tradition, as most critics say. It's still centered on the structure mentioned above, with "Crudele sospetto" being the suspension over time. That being said, let's see the structure of the piece: 1. 0:00 - 1:40. "Vieni, o stella". A celebratory chorus sings of Elena's beauty. It's a fairly typical opening to a finale. As a point of interest, here we get a melody taken directly from "Ricciardo" (from Agorante's cavatina). 2. 1:40 - 6:24. "Quanto a quest'alma amante", a terzettino for Elena, her <b>...</b>
Rossini
coloratura
belcanto