THE SONGBIRD: American coloratura soprano Ruth Welting (1948 - 1999) was a star at the New York City Opera from her debut in 1971 as Blonde, to her Baby Doe in 1976. That's when she skipped across Lincoln Center to join The Met's roster, where she performed 52 times until 1993. She sang across the U.S. (Dallas, Houston, Chicago, San Francisco, Sante Fe, Washington DC, Portland, Philadelphia, New Orleans) and internationally (Covent Garden, Amsterdam, Munich, Barcelona, Madrid, Parma, Spoleto, Salzburg, Canada). Sadly, she passed away at age 51 of cancer.
THE MUSIC: Here is Welting in three excerpts from a live performance of Rossini's "The Barber of Seville" at NYCO in November 1973. We hear Rosina's aria "Una voce poco fa" ending on a High F; Proch's Variations "Deh torna mio bene" with an attempted High A-flat (this piece was interpolated into the music lesson scene); and then the finale with one last High G.
9 сен 2024
