Customer Reviews

Arias for Mezzo-Soprano: G. Schirmer Opera Anthology

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book is a must-own for any mezzo-soprano (as are the corresponding volumes for any other voice type.) I daresay this is the anthology standard for aspiring opera stars. I purchased mine when starting college and learned my first aria from it--"Non so piu, cosa son". Ten years later I am still finding pieces that fit my voice as it grows into works by Bizet, Massenet, Donizetti. And I know that I will continue to use it in years to come as I grow into the luscious arias of Dalilah or perhaps Mascagni's Lola.

Having had the opportunity to work with Dr. Robert Larsen, I can say that he is one of the most knowledgeable people in the business about opera and how to get young people started. The translations provided are not poetic--they are accurate, true translations! The plot summaries are brief but helpful, enough to get you started, but short enough to encourage you to do your own work. Larsen notates alternate endings, appogioturi, and other traditional performance notes. I guarantee, if you buy this book, you'll use it until it falls apart. I'm on my second one now.

If you are calling yourself a mezzo soprano but you don't have this book, you are not doing yourself any favors. This book contains a wide variety of the most popular and most widely performed mezzo arias in the repertoire. It even includes arias from some contemporary operas. Like I said, if you are a mezzo, you need this book.

This book has great selections and editing. It also has a section in the beginning where it gives background information, text, and translations for each aria. I would strongly recommend it to any student mezzo for these things. Additionally, you can buy a companion "diction coach" volume that goes over the pronunciation for each piece in detail, which I would imagine would be very helpful for students.

However, this book has a major disadvantage, which is that there is no companion CD with piano accompaniments for the pieces. I would have given it five stars, but the unavailability of accompaniments makes it very hard to actually practice the pieces without paying an accompanist.

Great book! The translations are so useful, and the collection is quite standard. Definitely a great book to have in any singer or teacher's library.

This publication has been around for a while and remains a very good choice. The selections are well chosen and the music clear and easy to read for both singer and pianist. As expected, dealing with the stiff spine in this new book is a monumental chore. I'll be glad when it's broken in.

This is the perfect collection of arias for the classical or even musical theater singer. It has a wide range of songs and genres. A+++!

The book came really fast and was in great shape, though it was bought new. The price was half of what I would have paid for the same book from the publisher's website.

This book definitely has all the commonly sung arias for mezzos such as "When I Am Laid In Earth"(Dido's Lament) from Purcell's opera Dido & Aeneas,"Che Faro Senza Euridice?" from Gluck's Orfeo ed Euridice,"Voi Che Sapete", and "Non so piu cosa son" from Mozart's Le Nozze di Figaro, "Una voce poco fa" from Rossini's Barber of Seville & more! I agree with the above posts! A must have for all mezzos!