ROSSINI, Gioachino
Il barbiere di Siviglia (The Barber of Seville)
“Largo al factotum”
Joyce DiDonato, guest professor
Matheus Alvarenga Diniz, student
Natalia Kuchaeva, accompanying pianist
The student sings the famous aria from “The Barber of Seville” and then the professor asks him what he likes about singing and what qualities he loves about his voice, when he finds it flowing well or when it does not… it is important to be aware of this to prevent the voice from staying “behind” and to use body position to project forward without collapsing inward. Figaro is Spanish, so DiDonato recommends saying the text imitating how Spaniards speak, as if he had never worked on the aria before. It is a matter of practicing the spoken text rather than singing. The professor also proposes an exercise in the form of a tongue twister to work on at home and thus improve the speed and fluency of the tongue.
They then resume the aria from the beginning and the professor corrects the way he enters to deliver the phrases and asks him about the character of Figaro. It is important that he convey that attitude of the character’s confidence, wit, and ability to make money. To do this, she suggests using his qualities and connecting with the audience with that resolute character. They work on the text again, which must be very clear (she emphasizes that he needs to focus on the quality of the spoken voice rather than the sung voice), for which she advises not to sing the aria from top to bottom but to repeat the same phrase many times.
Language: English
