Son rubini amorosi…
I may have fallen into the Poppea well again… but can you blame me? It’s the month of love and lust. For how tongue in cheek cynical the libretto is, Poppea has a high ratio of very romantic passages. Perhaps the most romantic of all is this bit Nerone sings whilst fantasising about Poppea’s beauty. I simply love it. I thought it was the best thing Lindsey sang all night that night (and I already thought she was at her best in this role) but now it’s Mameli that has stolen my heart. Try not to be seduced (close you eyes, the visuals alone might do the trick):
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Posted on February 18, 2019, in baroque, italian opera, sopranos and tagged claudio monteverdi, l'incoronazione di poppea, roberta mameli. Bookmark the permalink. 13 Comments.
opera, innit? 
😀
now i have this tune in head walking around..
(now on repeat.. it actually works superior for me when i don’t look, as i can hear much better the lines.. i remember first struck by this tune when i got the ACA’s version and was working (not watching) and she stopped me right on my track.. as i might have mentioned elsewhere before, i do like very much the contrast between this tune and “cantiam, amorose canzoni” just before that: they give the multi-dimensional aspects of Nerone.. and some singers might bring out 1 side but not the other.. but when they can bring both it made for a full stop! (and repeat) )
This one really gets a lot of repeats…
ps- another solo line (much shorter) that i really love from Nerone’s music is the intro of Poppea in the last scene (and i can hear ACA’s line in my head now 🙂 , need to search for Mameli’s)
ps2- after i discovered ACA’s version (hence Nerone’s music) i went through a few Nerones.. and Mameli’s stuck w me the most.. i think it has to do with her timbre (or tone, or color, however you call it, the distinctive “body” of the voice…) as well as sonething about her way to deliver a line.. sometimes you think : oh she’s doing this a bit much or that a bit little 1/2 way in… but then you think: ah but it makes sense.. and it’s her own way by the end, rather than being compared…
sometimes you think : oh she’s doing this a bit much or that a bit little 1/2 way in… but then you think: ah but it makes sense..
I know what you mean but let’s just say the hormones are on high alert 😉 everything she does in this passage is a-ok by me.
ugh yes I love it as well 😍😍😍
🙂 love it! Finally a Nerone I can connect with, quite amazing, I always thought the character was just too offputting to really buy into any of his romantic passages. Her flow of line is perfect, as well as her play with dynamics!
Her flow of line is perfect, as well as her play with dynamics!
I know, right? I’ve been all eyelash batting over it since I gave it a shot the other day.
Lindsey’s version is good as well, I agree, that one is more madness and somehow very sad in anticipation of events (though that may mostly be my own interpretation due to Christie’s mores evere version of the ritornello), but Mameli’s version makes you all forget about Poppea’s fate, who cares what will be later, if (s)he sings like that right now…
Mameli’s version makes you all forget about Poppea’s fate, who cares what will be later, if (s)he sings like that right now…
yes, and every once in a while you just want that unabashed “now” with no concern for the very dark future.
I think this scene sounds like Nerone has entered the melancholy phase of drinking and is about to pass out soon… which is not to say I don’t love it 🙂 such a lovely melody, like also ”In un sospir che vien”.
And this version even has two verses, yay!
Nerone has entered the melancholy phase of drinking and is about to pass out soon…
ha, it could be! nice mood to pass out to.
like also ”In un sospir che vien”
that, too. Like I was saying, there are so many great passages.