soprano

Oberlin Orchestra,
Monday
April 29, 2024, 12 pm Finney Chapel Oberlin College Choir, &
Concert No. 7,694,203 Musical Union
Cantante delle passioni:
Giuditta Pasta Raphael Jimenez,
(1797-1865) conductor
Saioa Hernández,

Overture to Tancredi (6 mins) Gioachino Rossini (1792-1868)

Don Giovanni (K. 527): Act II, Scene II (8-9 mins) Wolfgang A. Mozart
Sestetto: Sola, sola in buio loco (1756-1791)

Mathilda Edge, Donna Anna

Saioa Hernández, Donna Elvira
Chabrelle Williams, Zerlina
Salvatore Champagne, Don Ottavio
Eric Greene, Leporello
Timothy LeFebvre, Masetto

Réminiscences de Robert le diable (10-11 mins) Franz Liszt (1811-1886)

Haewon Song, piano

Norma: Act II, Scene III (12-13 mins) Vincenzo Bellini Recitativo: Mi
chiami, o Norma (1801-1835) Duetto: Deh! Con te, con te il prendi
Duetto: Mira, o Norma – Si, fino all’ore

Saioa Hernández, Norma

Ekaterina Gubanova, Adalgisa

- Intermission -
Variations on Nel cor più non mi sento (12 mins) Niccolò Paganini
(1801-1835
)

Francesca DePasquale, violin

Scene from Act II of Anna Bolena (24 mins) Gaetano Donizetti Coro: Oh!
Dove mai ne andarono (1797-1848) Recitativo e Coro: O mie fedeli
Duetto: Dio, con mi vedi in core
Duetto: Sul suo capo aggravi un Dio
Duetto: Va’ infelice, e teco reca

Saioa Hernández, Anna Bolena

Milijana Nikolić, Giovanna Seymour

Please silence all cell phones and refrain from the use of unauthorized recording equipment
and flash photography during the performance.
Thank you.
Translations

Don Giovanni: Act II, Scene II Mozart

DONNA ELVIRA DON OTTAVIO

Sola, sola in buio loco Tergi il ciglio, o vita mia,
palpitar il cor mi sento, e dà calma al tuo dolore!
e m'assale un tal spavento, L'ombra omai del genitore
che mi sembra di morir. pena avrà de' tuoi martir.

LEPORELLO DONNA ANNA

Più che cerco, men ritrovo Lascia, ah, lascia alla mia
questa porta sciagurata; pena questo picciolo ristoro;
piano, piano, l'ho trovata! sol la morte, o mio tesoro,
Ecco il tempo di fuggir! il mio pianto può finir.
(Entrano Donna Anna e Don Ottavio.)
DONNA ELVIRA
Ah dov'è lo sposo mio?
DONNA ELVIRA
LEPORELLO Ah, where is my betrothed?
Se mi trova, son perduto!
LEPORELLO
DONNA ELVIRA, If she finds me, I am lost!
LEPORELLO Una porta là
vegg'io. DONNA ELVIRA,
Cheto, cheto, io vo' partir! LEPORELLO I see a door there.
Softly. softly, I must leave!
ZERLINA, MASETTO
Ferma, briccone, dove ten vai? ZERLINA, MASETTO
Halt, rascal! Where are you going?
DONNA ANNA, DON OTTAVIO
Ecco il fellone, com'era qua? DONNA ANNA, DON OTTAVIO
There is the wretch! How did he get
DONNA ANNA, ZERLINA, DON there?
OTTAVIO, MASETTO
Ah, mora il perfido DONNA ANNA, ZERLINA, DON
che m'ha tradito! OTTAVIO, MASETTO
Ah, death to the ingrate
DONNA ELVIRA who has betrayed me!
È mio marito! Pietà!
DONNA ELVIRA DONNA ELVIRA
Alone, in this dark place He is my husband! Have mercy!
I feel my heart beating loudly, Pietà!
and such a fear assails me
that I feel like dying. DONNA ANNA, ZERLINA,
DON OTTAVIO, MASETTO
LEPORELLO È Donna Elvira? Quella ch'io
The more I search for this vedo? Appena il credo! No!
door, the harder it is to find it. Morrà, ecc.
Softly, softly, I have found it!
Here's the moment to escape! LEPORELLO
(Donna Anna and Don Ottavio enter.) Perdon, perdono, signori miei!
Quello io non sono, sbaglia costei!
DON OTTAVIO Viver lasciatemi per carità!
Dry your eyes, my own,
and ease your suffering! DONNA ANNA, ZERLINA,
By now the shade of your DONNA ELVIRA, DON OTTAVIO,
father should have pity on your MASETTO Dei! Leporello!
grief. Che inganno è questo!
Stupido/a resto!
DONNA ANNA Che mai sarà?
Leave me this small outlet
to my grief. LEPORELLO
Only death, my treasure, Mille torbidi pensieri
can put an end to my tears. mi s'aggiran per la testa;
se mi salvo in tal tempesta,
 è un prodigio in verità, ecc. Let me live, I beg you!

DONNA ANNA, ZERLINA, DONNA ANNA, ZERLINA,

DONNA ELVIRA DONNA ELVIRA, DON OTTAVIO,
MASETTO Lord, Leporello!
DON OTTAVIO, MASETTO What ruse is this?
Mille torbidi pensieri I am dismayed!
mi s'aggiran per la testa; What does it mean?
che giornata, o stelle, è questa!
Che impensata novità! ecc. LEPORELLO
A thousand strange thoughts
are whirling in my head.
If I save myself from this storm,
—Translation copyright © 1961 by William Murray it will truly be a miracle, etc.
Have mercy!
DONNA ANNA, ZERLINA,
DONNA ANNA, ZERLINA, DONNA ELVIRA,
DON OTTAVIO, MASETTO
Is that Donna Elvira? DON OTTAVIO, MASETTO
I can hardly believe it! No! He must die! etc. A thousand strange thoughts
are whirling in my head.
LEPORELLO What a day, my stars, this is!
Pardon, pardon me, good What an unfortunate occurrence! etc.
people! I am not he; she is
mistaken!

from [Link]

Norma: Act II, Scene III Bellini

Italian
ADALGISA NORMA
Mi chiami, o Norma? That “cover” is death.
Qual ti copre il volto tristo pallor? I’ll confess all my shame to
you. I have one thing to ask of
NORMA you If today’s grief
Pallor di morte. And the future’s grief
Io tutta l'onta mia ti rivelo. Una E il duol futuro.
preghiera sola, odi, e l'adempi, Si
pietà pur merta ADALGISA
Il presente mio duol, Tutto, tutto io prometto.
English
ADALGISA NORMA
Il giura.
Did you call me, Norma?
Why is your face covered with sadness?
ADALGISA
Il giuro. I would do anything.

NORMA NORMA
Odi, Purgar quest'aura Swear it!
Contaminata dalla mia presenza
Ho risoluto, nè trar meco io ADALGISA
posso Questi infelici. I swear!
A te li affido.
NORMA
ADALGISA Listen, I resolve to purge
Oh ciel! A me li affidi? The world of my
contamination. I cannot take
NORMA these poor children With me,
Nel romano campo guidali a And I trust them to you.
lui, Che nominar non oso.
ADALGISA
ADALGISA O God, to me?
Oh! Che mai chiedi?
NORMA
NORMA Take them to the Roman camp, to
Sposo ti sia men crudo; him Who I dare not name.
Io gli perdono e moro.
ADALGISA
ADALGISA Oh, what are you asking?
Sposo? Ah, mai!
NORMA
NORMA May he be a less cruel husband to
Pei figli suoi t'imploro. you; I forgive him, and I die.

Deh! Con te, li prendi, ADALGISA

Li sostieni, li difendi Husband?! No, never!
Non ti chiedo onori e
fasci, A' tuoi figli ei fian NORMA
serbati. I beg of you, for his children’s sake.
Prego sol che i miei non
lasci Schiavi, abbietti, Take them with you,
abbandonati. Basti a te che Support them, protect them.
disprezzata, I ask not for their glory and
Che tradita io fui per te. honor— That belongs to your
Adalgisa, deh! ti muova own sons.
Tanto strazio del mio cor. I only ask that you don’t leave my
children Slaves, abject and abandoned.
ADALGISA As it was for you
Norma, ah! Norma, ancora That I was betrayed and cast
amata, Madre ancora sarai per aside! Adalgisa, oh, go
me. It’s too much torment in my heart.
Deserve any pity.
ADALGISA
ADALGISA Norma, ah, beloved Norma!
 To me, you will always be a mother. Ei già sen pente.
Tienti i figli. Please keep your children.
Ah! Non, ah non fia mai Ch'io mi tolga a And let it never happen—
queste arene! Let me never leave this land!

NORMA NORMA
Tu giurasti. You swore—

ADALGISA ADALGISA
Sì, giurai. Yes, I swore,
Ma il tuo bene, il sol tuo bene. Vado al But only to do what is good for you. I’ll
campo ed all'ingrato Tutti io reco i tuoi go to the camp to that ungrateful man,
lamenti. La pietà che m'hai destato Parlerà Bearing all your complaints.
sublimi accenti. He will hear the compassion
Spera, ah, spera, amor, natura Ridestar in That you have stirred in me.
lui vedrai. Do not worry, you will see how Love and
Del suo cor son io secura, Norma ancor vi nature reawakens in him. I am sure that in
regnerà! his heart,
Norma still reigns there!
NORMA
Ch'io lo preghi? NORMA
Ah, no! Giammai! Ah! No! I should beg him?
Ah, no! Never! Ah! No!
ADALGISA
Norma, ti piega. ADALGISA
Please do not resist.
NORMA
No, più non t'odo. NORMA
Parti. Va. I will hear you no more.
Leave. Go.
ADALGISA
Ah, no! Giammai! Ah! No! ADALGISA
Ah, no, please!
Mira, o Norma, a' tuoi ginocchi Questi
cari tuoi pargoletti! Ah! Pietade di lor ti Look, Norma, at your knees,
tocchi, Se non hai di te pietà! Your dear little children!
Ah, may their pity reach you
NORMA If you don’t have mercy on yourself!
Ah! Perchè, la mia costanza Vuoi scemar
con molli affetti? Più lusinghe, ah, più NORMA
speranza Presso a morte un cor non ha! Ah, why, why do you wish
To weaken my resolve with affection? This
ADALGISA flattery, ah, this hope,
Cedi! Deh, cedi! Are not for people about to die.

NORMA ADALGISA
Ah! Lasciami! Ei t'ama. Stop, stop!

ADALGISA NORMA
Ah, leave me be. He loves you.

ADALGISA
Yet he already repents. —Translation copyright © 2024 by Tia Leung
NORMA NORMA
E tu? What about you?

ADALGISA ADALGISA
L'amai. Quest'anima I loved him, but now
Sol l'amistade or sente. My soul only feels friendship.

NORMA NORMA
O giovinetta! E vuoi? Child, what will you do?

ADALGISA ADALGISA
Renderti i dritti tuoi, I will return to you what is yours
O teco al cielo agli uomini Or hide myself with you,
Giuro celarmi ognor. From both God and men.

NORMA NORMA
Sì. Hai vinto. Abbracciami. Yes, you’ve won! Hug me!
Trovo un'amica amor. I’ve found my lovely friend.

NORMA ED ADALGISA NORMA AND ADALGISA

Sì, fino all'ore estreme Yes, until our last hours,
Compagna tua m'avrai. You will have me as your companion.
Per ricovrarci insieme The earth is big enough
Ampia è la terra assai. To shelter us both together.
Teco del fato all'onte We will drive our fate to shame,
Ferma opporrò la fronte, And I will stand right here,
Finchè il tuo core a battere As long as your heart beats.
Io senta sul mio cor, sì. I feel it in my heart— yes!

Scene from Act II of Anna Bolena Donizetti

CHORUS:
Oh! wherever have the sycophantic crowds gone,
CORO: who gathered around her in her happy days!
Oh! dove mai ne andarono le turbe adulatrici, Che Seymour, Seymour herself has distanced herself from
intorno a lei venivano ne' giorni suoi felici! her.
Seymour, Seymour medesima da lei si allontanò. Ma But we will always be with you, unhappy girl.
noi per sempre, o misera, sempre con te saremo. O Either your triumph or your ultimate disaster
il tuo trionfo apprestisi, o il tuo disastro estremo: prepares itself:
pochi il destin, ma teneri cori per te lasciò. Eccola... Fate has left you few hearts but they are tender
afflitta e pallida, move a fatica il piè. ones. Behold her…afflicted and pale, she drags her
feet wearily.
________________
CORO: che vi stringono a lui...
Regina! rincoratevi; La vita almeno...
nel ciel ponete fede, se non il regio nome,
hanno confin le lagrime, la vita almen, deh! voi salvate!
perir virtù non può. CHORUS:
Queen! Take heart,
ANNA:
O miei fedeli, o soli put your faith in Heaven,
a me rimasti nella mia sventura let tears be banished,
consolatori, ogni speranza, è vero, posta è nel ciel, in virtue cannot die.
lui soltanto... In terra non v'ha riparo per la mia ANNA:
ruina. O my faithful ones, o the only ones
who remain as consolation to me in my misfortune,
every hope, it is true,
is placed in Heaven and in it alone…On earth there
is no remedy for my ruin.
ANNA:
Dio che mi vedi in core,
__________
mi volgo a te... Se meritai quest'onta giudica tu.
GIOVANNA:
Piange l'afflitta... Ahi! come
ne sosterrò lo sguardo?
ANNA:
Ah! sì: gli affanni
dell'infelice aragonese inulti
esser non denno, e a me terribil pena il tuo rigor
destina…
Ma terribile e troppo…
GIOVANNA:
O mia Regina!
ANNA:
Seymour... a me ritorni!... ANNA:
Non mi obliasti tu?... Sorgi... Che veggio? God who sees within my heart,
Impallidisci! Tremi?... I turn to you…judge you
A me tu rechi if I deserve this shame.
nuova sventura forse?
JANE:
GIOVANNA: The afflicted lady weeps…Alas! how
Orrenda... Estrema!... will I bear her gaze?
Gioia poss'io recarvi?
Ah!... no... m'udite. ANNA:
Tali son trame ordite, Ah! yes: the anguish
che perduta voi siete. Ad ogni costo vuol franti il Re of the unhappy lady of Aragon
gli sciagurati nodi must not be in vain, and your severity
has determined a terrible punishment for me… But volete voi? Regina, oh ciel, cedete... Ve ne consiglia
it is too terrible… il Re... ve ne scongiura la sciagurata che l'amor
d'Enrico ha destinata al trono.
JANE:
Oh, my Queen! ANNA:
Oh! chi è costei?
ANNA:
Seymour…returned to me! La conosci? Favella. Ardire ell'ebbe di consigliarmi
Have you not forgotten me? Arise…What do I see? una viltà?... Viltade alla Regina sua!... parla: chi è
You are pale! Are you trembling? dessa?
Are you bringing me GIOVANNA:
new misfortune perhaps? Un'infelice.
JANE: ANNA:
Dreadful…extreme! E tal facea me stessa.
Could I give you joy? Sul suo capo aggravi un Dio
Ah! no…listen to me. il suo braccio punitore.
The trap is thus laid
GIOVANNA:
that you are lost. At any cost
Deh! Mi ascolta.
the King wants to shatter
the unfortunate knots ANNA:
that bind you to him… Al par del mio,
your life at least… sia straziato il vil suo cuore.
if not your royal name, GIOVANNA:
alas, save your life at least! Ah! perdono!
ANNA:
E come? Spiegati. ANNA:
Sia di spine
GIOVANNA: ANNA:
In dirlo io tremo... And how? Explain yourself.
Pur dirlo io deggio. Il confessarvi rea, dal Re vi
scioglie e vi sottragge a morte. JANE:
I tremble to say it…
yet say it I must. Confessing yourself to be guilty
ANNA: will unbind you from the King and rescue you from
Che dici tu? death.
GIOVANNA: ANNA:
La sorte What are you saying?
che vi persegue, altro non lascia a voi mezzo di
scampo. JANE:
The fate which pursues you,
ANNA: leaves no other means
E consigliar mel puoi tu, mia Seymour! of escape to you.
GIOVANNA: ANNA:
Deh, per pietà. And thus you can advise me, my Seymour…
ANNA: JANE:
Ch'io compri con infamia la vita? Alas, have mercy.
GIOVANNA: ANNA:
E infamia e morte That I should purchase my life with infamy?
 è al tuo piè la traditrice.
JANE:
Do you wish infamy and death? ANNA:
Queen, oh Heavens, give in… Mia rivale!!...
The King advises you to do it…the wretched GIOVANNA:
woman who Henry has destined for the throne Ma straziata dai rimorsi... ed infelice.
implores you.
ANNA:
ANNA: Fuggi... fuggi...
Oh! Who is this woman? Do you know her? Speak.
Was she so impudent GIOVANNA:
as to advise me to villainy? Villainy Ah! no: perdono:
to her Queen! Speak: who is she? dal mio cor punita io sono.
Inesperta... lusingata...
JANE: fui sedotta ed abbagliata...
An unhappy woman. Amo Enrico, e ne ho rossore... Mio
ANNA: supplizio è questo amore... Gemo e
And she is doing this to me. piango, e dal mio pianto soffocato
Let God place on her head amor non è.
his punishing arm.
ANNA:
JANE: Sorgi!... Ah! sorgi...
Alas! Listen to me. È reo soltanto
ANNA: chi tal fiamma accese in te.
Let her vile heart be tortured
Va', infelice, e teco reca
just as mine is.
il perdono di Bolena:
JANE: nel mio duol furente e cieca
Ah! Pardon! t'imprecai terribil pena...
ANNA: La tua grazia or chiedo a Dio, e
Let the crown with which she coveted for her head concessa a te sarà.
la corona ambita al crine; Ti rimanga in questo addio
sul guancial del regio letto l'amor mio, la mia pietà.
sia la veglia ed il sospetto... be of thorns;
Fra lei sorga e il reo suo sposo il let watchfulness and suspicion
mio spettro minaccioso... lie on the pillow of the royal bed…. let a
E la scure a me concessa, menacing spectre arise
più crudel, le neghi il Re. between her and her husband the king… and
let the axe which is assigned to me more
GIOVANNA: cruelly deny her the King.
(Ria sentenza! io moro...)
JANE:
Ah! cessa! (A cruel sentence! I feel like I'm dying…)
Deh, pietà pietà... di me!
Ah! Cease!
Alas, have pity, pity…on me!
ANNA:
Tu!... che ascolto!
ANNA:
GIOVANNA: You! What do I hear!
Ah!... sì, prostrata
 JANE: in my furious and blind sorrow I cursed
Ah!…yes, prostrate at your feet is you with terrible suffering… Now I ask for
the traitress. your pardon from God, and it will be
granted to you.
ANNA: In this farewell there remains to you my
My rival!… love and my pity.
JANE: GIOVANNA:
But tortured by remorse and unhappy. Ah! peggiore è il tuo perdono
dello sdegno ch'io temea,
ANNA: punitor mi lasci un trono
Go away…go away… del delitto ond'io son rea.
JANE: Là mi attende un grande Iddio
Forgive me: che la colpa punirà.
I am punished by my heart Ah! primiero è questo addio
Inexperienced…enticed… de' tormenti che mi dà.
I was seduced and dazzled…
I love Henry…and it embarrasses me… My
torture is this love… —Translation copyright © 2012 by Dmitrii Murashev
I groan and weep, and yet love JANE:
is not smothered by my tears. Ah! worse is your pardon
than the scorn which I feared, You leave me
ANNA:
a throne as a punishment for the crime of
Get up! Ah! get up…
which I am guilty. There a great God awaits
The only one who is guilty
me
is the one who lit such a flame in you.
who will punish the sin.
Go unhappy girl, to you is given the Ah! This farewell is the first
pardon of Bolena. of the torments which he gives me.

from [Link]

Giuditta Pasta, Soprano (1797-1865)

Giuditta Pasta, born Giuditta Angiola Maria Costanza Negri, was one of the
few remarkable soprano voices of the first three decades of the 19th century,
alongside Angelica Catalani and Maria Malibran. She was born in Saronno, Italy
to a family of doctors. As a member of the middle class, the prodigal singer had
access to voice lessons in Milan with some of the strongest performing or
retired singers of her day, including the castrato Girolamo Crescentini and
composer and conductor Giuseppe Scappa. Her operatic debut was in the 1816
world premiere of Scappa’s Le tre Eleonore. That same year, she performed at
the Théâtre Italien in Paris in Mozart’s Don Giovanni as Donna Elvira and as
Giulietta in Niccolò Antono Zingarelli’s Giulietta e Romeo, among other
performances.
At the height of her career, Giuditta Pasta was not only considered prima donna of the productions she
performed, but prima donna assoluta, which essentially allowed her the power of a director. Her
performances as not only a singer, but a singing actor (attrice cantante) is what brought her absolute
authority over the works she performed, and she proved to be incredibly creative in her role. A contract
from the King’s Theatre in London states:

In all the operas in which Madame Pasta will perform, she alone will have the choice of the actors
and the distribution of the roles, the absolute direction for all that regards the rehearsals and all else
concerning the mise en scène of the said operas. No one will have the right to intervene in rehearsals,
nor to meddle in anything concerning the performance of those operas.

By 1824, Pasta’s career had spread throughout Western Europe, and she regularly sang in London,
Paris, Milan, and Venice. Pasta was known for her performances as Donna Elvira and the title role of
Rossini’s Tancredi, which was transposed higher for her voice. Critics were astounded by not only the
singer’s vocal range, but her timbral range, which had also caught the attention of writers such as
Stendhal, and some of the rising operatic composers of the day, including Bellini, Rossini, and
Donizetti. Stendhal describes her voice as such:

She can achieve perfect resonance on a note as low as bottom A, and can rise as high as C♯, or
even to a slightly sharpened D; and she possesses the rare ability to be able to sing contralto as
easily as she can sing soprano. I would suggest ... that the true designation of her voice is mezzo
soprano, and any composer who writes for her should use the mezzo-soprano range for the
thematic material of his music, while still exploiting, as it were incidentally and from time to time,
notes which lie within the more peripheral areas of this remarkably rich voice. Many notes of this
last category are not only extremely fine in themselves, but have the ability to produce a kind of
resonant and magnetic vibration, which, through some still unexplained combination of physical
phenomena, exercises an instantaneous and hypnotic effect upon the soul of the spectator.

This leads to the consideration of one of the most uncommon features of Madame Pasta's voice: it
is not all moulded from the same metallo, as it is said in Italy (which is to say that it possesses more
than one timbre); and this fundamental variety of tone produced by a single voice affords one of
the richest veins of musical expression which the artistry of a great cantatrice is able to exploit.

Carlo Ritorni, one of the most prominent and knowledgeable music critics in Europe, referred to Pasta
as “cantante delle passioni”— literally “singer of passion” because of the extreme expressiveness of her
voice, paired with her commanding physicality. Her expression and multicolored voice inspired
Donizetti and Bellni for write her the title roles of Anna Bolena and Norma, respectively, as well as the
role of Amina from Bellini’s La Sonnambula. Pasta’s legacy as a singer has continued to shine through
singing actors such as Maria Callas and Saioa Hernández and will continue to shine through generations
of singers.

Program Notes

Tonight’s concert is unlike many of the concerts here at Oberlin; it is a fully dedicated and
uninterrupted concert centered around Giuditta Pasta, her heritage, and her career; therefore, it
highlights these aspects through a program based entirely on her, the works that built her career, and
the works tailored to her astounding instrument. The repertoire we’ve chosen for this concert today is
meant to fall under what it means for a performer to be a “cantante delle passioni,” and for a piece of
music to be made for such a performer. This concert is full of virtuosity, as Giuditta Pasta was known
for herself, but also the raw and real emotions of suspicion, betrayal, forgiveness, and friendship, ones
that Pasta was known for evoking in her audiences.

Tonight’s first piece is the overture to Rossini’s Tancredi, which is an opera seria based on Voltaire’s
Tancrède. According to Stendhal, one of Rossini’s biographers,” Tancredi was a “genuine thunderbolt out
of a clear, blue sky for the Italian lyric theatre (Osborne 1994). The overture to Tancredi is not a new
piece of music, as it was borrowed from an earlier work called La pietra del paragone. Tancredi is a key
role for Giuditta Pasta for two reasons: the role was integral to her success in Paris and it is exemplary
of her status as “prima donna assoluta.” During the early period of Pasta’s career as a singer, she
performed as the title role in the French premiere at the Théâtre Italien in 1822. That being said, the
role of Tancredi was meant for a low mezzo-soprano or contralto singer, which Giuditta Pasta was not.
Although some believed that she was a mezzo-soprano, the term soprano sfogato is more accurate to
her tessitura, as she often ornamented pieces to be higher than written (Caswell, 1989). Rossini
transposed the role of Tancredi just so she could sing it. Her approach to male roles was rather
effeminate, yet still exemplary of the hero. She would go on to sing several travesti roles (pants roles)
throughout her career, as well as tenor roles written an octave up, with the same sensitivity that she
would sing roles like Norma or Anna Bolena.

Our second work is a sextet from Don Giovanni. While Pasta was not connected to Mozart by any
means, the role of Donna Elvira was pivotal to her early career as well. At this point of the opera, all
the characters except for Don Giovanni and Leporello are feeling extremely betrayed, especially Donna
Elvira. Donna Elvira is married to Don Giovanni, and in this sextet, she claims him as his husband and
tries to defend him from the others. However, the man she thinks is Don Giovanni is actually his
servant, Leporello, in his master’s clothes. According to reviews on her physicality on stage, Giuditta
Pasta may have been the first singer to give this moment the confusion and sadness it truly deserves.
Next is Franz Liszt’s Réminiscences de ‘Robert le diable.’ While her identity as a woman of Jewish descent
was not prominent and is largely overlooked, it is important to note the discrimination she may have
faced as a performer whose parents were not Christian. Judaism in any artform, but especially music,
was frowned upon and stereotyped in the early 19th century. In the British Empire, for example, Jewish
people did not have the same rights as Anglicans, and it was similar for the rest of Europe.
Occasionally, Jewish people were met with violence throughout the world, and it was increasingly
difficult for composers such as Giacomo Meyerbeer to take hold within Europe. Pasta did not sing as
much of Meyerbeer’s work when compared to Bellini, but her performance of Il Crociato in Egitto (The
Crusader in Egypt) was masculine, yet effeminate, and captivating in a way that only Pasta could be.
Liszt’s piano arrangement of the Infernal Waltz from Robert le diable is incredibly virtuosic, bringing out
the piano’s loudest fortes and sweetest pianos.

The last work for the first half is a duet between Norma and Adalgisa from Bellini’s Norma, one of the
roles written for Pasta herself. At this point in the opera, Norma had been seduced by Pollione, and has
two of his children, but Pollione now pursues Adalgisa. Adalgisa approaches Norma, who begs the
young priestess to take her children to their father, so that Adalgisa can live with a man who is a better
lover than he was for Norma. She refuses, saying that she’ll go to Pollione and convince him to come
back to Norma. They then sing together, realizing that Adalgisa has left Pollione for her. The role of
Norma is one that is both incredibly challenging both emotionally and technically, as the character
seems to rapidly move back and forth between suicidal ideation, rage, love, and joy. German soprano
Lilli Lehmann had this to say about the title role:

"When you sing Wagner, you are so carried away by the dramatic emotion, the action, and the
scene that you do not have to think how to sing the words. That comes of itself. But in Bellini, you
must always have a care for beauty of tone and correct emission."

In essence, striking a balance between beauty of tone and realness of emotion is incredibly difficult,
however, Bellini would not have written this for Pasta if she was not capable of this.

The second half of the concert opens with Paganini’s variations on a theme from Nel cor più non mi sento
by Giovanni Paisiello. The source material is derived from Paisiello’s 1788 opera L’amor contrastato, ossia
La molinara. The source material of this piece presents a staggering irony to what you will hear, in that
this piece is integral to modern vocal pedagogy. Nowadays, it is often a first piece for beginning
classical voice students, yet the performance of this arrangement is for no beginner. The version of the
piece you will hear today is more accurate to the original and does a superior job at preserving the
theme when it is heard, and ornamenting it at times in the way someone like Pasta or Malibran would,
and at other times, ornamenting it in the way only Paganini could.

The last piece of tonight’s concert is a scene from Donizetti’s Anna Bolena between Anne Boleyn and
Jane Seymour. At this point, Anne knows that she is about to be put to death, and her council reminds
her of this by telling her to trust in heaven. When Jane enters, she tells Anne that the only way to avoid
execution is to confess guilt, but Anne refuses, claiming that dying is a better fate than infamy. She
sends Jane off, forgiving her, and Jane is deeply upset at the fate of her friend. Anne Boleyn is also an
incredibly emotionally mature role for a soprano to undertake, as she is an example of strength in a
point of her life where strength would be almost impossible to find. Condemning oneself to die is a
decision rife with grief, anger, bitterness, and resolution, and much like Norma, was a perfect role to
write for the “cantante delle passioni.”

Review by

Instructions: You will exchange your project with another student. After reading the draft of the Project,
please answer the questions below. Please write legibly. At the end of the Peer Review time, please
hand this rubric along with the draft back to the Project Writer. Remember that the Project itself is due
on Monday, April 29 at noon EST. It will be turned in via a Googleform (the link is available in various
places on Blackboard). You will need to include your final draft in Googledoc, .doc, or .docx format
only as well as Peer Reviewed Copy and this Peer Review Rubric as a separate .pdf-format file. For this
assignment, you will be graded on both your peer reviewing performance as well as how you respond
to your peer reviewer’s comments.

Please write comments and edits directly into the Project Draft, as well as on this sheet.
General description (from your syllabus): Students will pick a performer active in the Long Nineteenth Century
(c. 1780-1914) and create an annotated concert program based on that performer’s typical repertoire lasting
approximately 45-75 minutes in length (not including intermission). The performer might be a singer,
instrumentalist, or conductor. Students will use contemporary resources as well as secondary literature to
research the life of their performer.

1. Does the Project include all of the required elements? Were they completed well?
Item Present? (circle) Poor Fair Good
Program Yes No X
Texts and Translations (if applicable) Yes No X
Performer’s Biography Yes No X
Program Notes Yes No X
Bibliography Yes No
Visual Illustration of Performer Yes No X
Note about the Concert Organizer Yes No

2. Are the citations and bibliography in a correct format?

Item Present? (circle) Poor Fair Good
Inline/footnote citations Yes No X
Bibliography Yes No

3. In terms of style and mechanics, is the prose easy to read and follow logically? Are there spelling,
punctuation or usage errors? Is there a pattern to these errors?

There were no spelling or usage errors, and everything was very easy to read and understand in terms of
mechanics.

4. What are at least two things you find particularly strong in this draft of the Project?
The narrative style in the performer biography was so interesting, and I enjoyed the way the story
flowed from Pasta’s background to career and her professional dealings, especially with the other
people she worked with.

Another thing I found particularly strong in this draft was the incorporation of Italian phrases,
particularly the passionate singer, and how that came back into the program notes; I found that very
clever.

5. Give the writer at least two specific suggestions for changes you’d like to see in the next draft.

I would say, even if a quote seems to describe what a term you used means, still explain it briefly for
the audience, just to make sure everyone understands what you’re talking about, even if it seems
obvious to you.
Secondly, go through and make sure you’ve cited all your quotes, not just with what journal/reference
they were from in the sentence, by with in-text citation, just to be safe.