Belcanto

Internationally renowned scholars and artists reflect on Belcanto from different angles rooted in research and practice and open up new insights through novel viewpoints and renewed questioning. The publication takes its starting point with the historical practice, but focuses mainly on the question how artists today recreate this complex phenomenon and reinterpret the particularities of historical sound ideals, of which the very latest state of the art is also presented. Moreover, it is discussed how performers can reconcile historical aspects of vocal artistry and the conventions of modern singing as well as the requirements set for voices in the current opera business. Given the multi-faceted nature of music theatre, the publication additionally addresses the staging of the musical language of Belcanto, and reflects on the current practice of today’s performances. With contributions in English by Daniela Barcellona, Peter Berne, Aviel Cahn, Guy Cherqui, Mariame Clément, Sieghart Döhring, Elsa Dreisig, Céline Frigau Manning, Sabine Henze-Döhring, Arnold Jacobshagen, Moshe Leiser, Damiano Michieletto, Andrea Sanguineti, Isolde Schmid-Reiter, Thomas Seedorf, Emanuele Senici, Robert Toft, Claudio Vellutini and Susanne Vill.

Preface (Isolde Schmid-Reiter, Aviel Cahn) Belcanto: Perspectives on a Multifaceted Term/ Thomas Seedorf Orators of Recitative: Late Eighteenth- and Early Nineteenth-Century Principles of Delivery for Modern Singers/ Robert Toft “Singing in a Flower Box”: Don Pasquale’s Exceptional Quartet and Luigi Lablache’s Art of the Comic Performance/ Céline Frigau Manning The New Belcanto. A Paradigm Shift in Composing for Voice around 1850/ Sieghart Döhring The Demise of Belcanto? A Look at Pauline Viardot-García’s Workshop/ Sabine Henze-Döhring Belcanto Turn? The Artistic Legacy of Maria Callas/ Arnold Jacobshagen Belcanto as a Challenge for Contemporary Singers/ Daniela Barcellona, Peter Berne, Elsa Dreisig, Moshe Leiser, in conversation with Aviel Cahn Portrayals of Female Figures in Belcanto Operas – Dramaturgic Outlines in Operas of Rossini, Bellini and Donizetti/ Susanne Vill Staging Belcanto Operas in the Twenty-First Century/ Emanuele Senici Edita Gruberová’s Wig: Belcanto Revival and Staging Practices at the Turn of the 21st Century/ Claudio Vellutini How can Virtuosity and Credibility on Stage be Combined?/ Aviel Cahn, Mariame Clément, Moshe Leiser, Damiano Michieletto, Andrea Sanguineti, in conversation with Guy Cherqui Index Authors