DONIZETTI, Gaetano
L’elisir d’amore (The Elixir of Love)
“Prendi, per me sei libero”
Javier Camarena, guest professor
Annya Andrea Pinto Figueroa, student
Duncan Gifford, accompanying pianist
First, Javier Camarena congratulates the student and gives her some instructions: to take more time on notes with a fermata and to make a diminuendo, linking it to the next note as close as possible to that note that is reached (portamento explanation).
At a certain moment, the piano sound lacks a bit of direction forward. They stop at that piano, he corrects the intonation and gives theoretical explanations about pressure and adequate support to perform it correctly. Afterwards, the professor gives instructions on phrasing and the importance of silences: they generate tension, so she should stay in them longer, even more so at this moment of the aria because of what the text is expressing. She should pay attention to the marked dynamics and, regarding the cadence, the professor recommends that she do the “traditional” version; they practice it several times and he advises her to lengthen that ending as much as possible.
Language: Spanish
