THE SONGBIRD: Luciana Serra was born in Genoa in 1946, made her debut in Budapest in 1966, and gained international attention as a brilliant Olympia in the "Tales of Hoffmann" in London at The Royal Opera (14 performances from 1980 to 1982). Serra's career took off and she sang mostly the Queen of the Night and bel canto heroines in the major opera houses and festivals around the world. She also sang French operatic roles and had a special affinity for headlining the casts of revivals of obscure florid Italian operas of the 18th and 19th Century.
THE MUSIC: Meyerbeer's 1859 opera-comique "Dinorah," originally titled "Le pardon de Ploërmel," premiered in Paris with Marie Cabel in the title role of a country girl who has already gone mad before the start of the opera! Why? Her bridegroom disappeared following a storm that interrupted their wedding. "Dinorah" was a popular success for 50 years, partly for the quaint music but also out of the novelty of having a live goat and running water on stage. It was kept in the repertory as a favorite showcase role for the starry coloratura sopranos including Adelina Patti, Nellie Melba, Caroline Miolan-Carvalho, Marie Van Zandt (the first to sing it at The Met, in 1892), Amelita Galli-Curci, Ilma de Murska, Luisa Tetrazzini, Maria Barrientos, and Lily Pons. Rightly deemed old-fashioned with the rise of verismo, it faded from opera stages and is rarely revived today. However, its most famous aria "Ombre legere" is still a go-to showpiece programmed in recitals and concerts for its charming tune and coloratura echo effects as Dinorah sings and dances with her shadow. Serra sings the complete "mad scene," which starts with a recitative and ballad, "Le vieux sorcier," before a segue into the famed shadow song aria with two verses and an extended cadenza with flute.
19 сен 2024
