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Old Dec 8 2005, 9:55 PM
J. Lee Graham J. Lee Graham is online now

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Thanks, everybody. Glad you enjoyed them!

Quote:
I can't properly identify where you stole from Mozart
I remained as close to what Mozart originally wrote as I possibly could, preferring to re-voice and rearrange his notes rather than throw in a bunch of my own. I did condense considerably in some places, and flesh out a bit in others. Benedetti is for chorus and full orchestra originally, complete with blaring trumpets, which I gave to the violas in octaves; Secondate is for the tenor and bass protagonists, with a semi-chorus and a small band of winds on a boat offshore in the Bay of Naples (what a charming scene, I must say again - a brief moment of sincerity in the sea of crass sarcasm the whole opera is...you almost believe the lovers in their wooing...almost).

Honestly, Milord, I urge you to move "Cosi Fan Tutte" closer to the top of your list (though I understand the Gobbi). It's absurd, surely, but not as mindless as it might at first appear. There is some very sharp social satire to be found in every moment of the work. It would be worth it to you in particular for the contributions of the misogynistic, worldly, caustically sardonic Don Alfonso alone (one of the first comic baritone roles in the repertoire...later almost the exclusive domain of Gilbert and Sullivan), to say nothing of the scheming little minx of a chambermaid Despina, who counters Don Alfonso with her own prejudices and bitchy observations about men and love. The four lovers themselves are pale and wan in comparison, but that is to be expected. To Mozart's credit, he doesn't give the "noble" characters all the good music, either.

Here is the text of one of Don Alfonso's ariettas, addressing the two male leads, who are quite certain that their girlfriends would be faithful to them to the death (apologies to the ladies):

E la fede delle femmine
Come l'araba fenice;
Che vi sia ciascun lo dice,
Dove sia, nessun lo sa.
Non e questa, non e quella
Non fu mai, non vi sara!


(The faithfulness of women
Is like the Arabian phoenix;
Everyone says it exists,
But no-one knows where.
It's not this one, it's not that one,
It doesn't exist, it never will!)

If that doesn't whet your appetite, nothing will.

BTW, I'm attaching a PDF of the rough score...sorry you had trouble with the Finale 2005 file.
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